I Love You! Do You Really?

I love you! do you really?

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18

I love you!

I love you soooo much!

These are great words to say. I try to say these words to my family every day. In one way or another, I try to express this to friends as well.

The words, however, can’t be the only way we show love. We need to show what we say. We need to put those words into action. Afterall, as we’ve seen in previous days (see here), love is a verb. In fact, words start to lose their meaning if we don’t back them up with actions.

A child asks their parent to play a game. The parent says,

“I’d like to, but not now. Maybe tomorrow.”

The next day the child asks again. Again the parent says they can’t. The next day…the next day…If they do that enough, the child will learn the parent doesn’t really want to play and will stop asking.

The parent may honestly want to play, but if they don’t show it…if they don’t play, the message is that they don’t want to play. The action has to match the words. This isn’t easy to write. I’ve been that parent, husband, and friend at times. I have had to apologize and try to do better. I’ve had to search myself to try to understand why I didn’t act so I could change.

The simple truth is that our love must be shown not just in words, but in actions as well. Jesus told us He loves us. He also showed it and man did He show it!! He gave His life for us. He continues to show His love by sustaining, caring for, and strengthening us day after day. Praise the Lord! It is because He showed and continues to show His love for us, we can be forgiven for those times we haven’t shown love and start again.

Is there someone whom you’ve told you love them, but haven’t shown it? How could you show it?

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for loving me both in words and deeds. Please forgive me for the times I didn’t make time to show my love. Help me to not only feel love towards others and say loving words, but to also show my love through my actions.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt