“PRACTICAL LOVE”

“PRACTICAL LOVE”

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

1 John 3:18 - NKJV

Amongst all the Bible writers, the apostle John is the one who probably has the highest authority to speak about love. He is well known as someone very close to Jesus, and he was even chosen to take care of the Lord’s mother after His cruel crucifixion. This is the fisherman, the “son of the thunder” who came from requesting Jesus to bring “fire from Heaven on the Samaritans” to becoming the one who was “leaning back on Jesus’ (John 13:25) during the “Last Supper”. This is the man who used the word love 57 times in the Gospel of John (including John 3:16), which is more often than in the other three gospels combined. Additionally, the word “love” appears 46 times in his First Epistle. It is said that when the apostle John was a very old man, preaching in Ephesus, his favorite theme was - you guessed right - loving each other! 

In this verse chosen today, John advises us to love not only “in word or tongue”, but in deed and in truth.”

In this season, we hear a lot about gatherings, solidarity and gifts. But I believe if we concentrate on doing all these beautiful things, without acts of love, it would be certainly meaningless.

This year, let’s experience practical love, let’s get ourselves involved in something unusual, let’s challenge our rhythms, perhaps showing love to someone outside our family circle, or even sacrificing part of our routines to bless someone in need. Let’s be functional, pragmatic, sincere and choose to make a difference in this troubled and so destitute world of ours through some deeds of real, warm and practical love.

Wishing many blessings to you and your family!

Pastor Joshua