1 John 3:18: My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
True Christian love means loving in deed and in truth. The opposite of “in deed” is “in word,” and the opposite of “in truth” is “in tongue.” Here is an example of love “in word”: “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled’; and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2:15–16). To love “in word” means simply to talk about a need, but to love “in deed” means to do something about meeting it. You may think, because you have discussed a need, or even prayed about it, that you have done your duty, but love involves more than words—it calls for sacrificial deeds.
To love “in tongue” is the opposite of to love “in truth.” It means to love insincerely. To love “in truth” means to love a person genuinely, from the heart and not just from the tongue. People are attracted by genuine love. One reason why sinners were attracted to Jesus was because they were sure He loved them sincerely. 1
Loving Him
Perhaps the most powerful witness to the world is when Christians are the first ones to mobilize and respond to a crisis. It is also very important for the Christian to reach out to new people in the fellowship. Attending church for the first time can be very intimidating, therefore your words and action can really be helpful to those visiting. Children are also watching how mom and dad demonstrate love with kind words and right action.
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. John 13:1
Loving Others
Pretend love is saying the right words, but never doing the right thing. – TWEET IT
Changing Me
Lord, thank You for communion. It reminds me that Your love is so much more powerful than just Your written words.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 512). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
