3 Actions of Love
Last week we found that God is love. We could expound on that truth, and I hope you read the week’s Bible reading plan to explore all the names of God. This week we want to focus on what love does because walking in love is an action as well as a place (IN HIM) or a thing.
Love Gives
John 3:16 shows us the first act of love. God so LOVED the world that He GAVE. The act of giving is an act of love if it’s done in the right way. God gave us His very best and His first, Jesus, His only begotten son. The giving action of love is echoed throughout the scriptures.
We are to give our best, and we are to give our first. Tithes and offerings are to be given in love, not grudgingly or of necessity, as 2 Corinthians 9:7 says. Love doesn’t just give of finances; it gives of time and talents – who we are. We are to give the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God. We are to give to those who are in need. There’s just no way around the giving action and language of love.
However, we must be careful that our giving isn’t to earn love or get eyes on us. We give because He first gave. We are to give from the place of love – where all of our needs are met, and we are content in Him.
Led by Compassion
The next action of love is compassion. We see over and over in the scriptures that Jesus was led by compassion. He never turned someone away or was too busy to heal or set someone free. We might think, “well, that’s easy for Jesus. That’s what He was supposed to do.” But what about you? What are you supposed to do?
Jesus had His plan for His days, but people were His top priority. People should be our top priority as well. We are commanded to love God and love others. You could say we are commanded to be moved with compassion.
It’s okay to have our plans and our schedules – you all know I highly enjoy my planners! But we are to leave room in our plans for God to move us with compassion. We’re not to be so rigid in our days that we can’t take a moment to call someone who is on our hearts. If someone shares with you that they need prayer over a particular thing, don’t just say that you’ll be praying for them, pray right then and there. That is being led by compassion. Those are the moments when God shows up and works through you.
Love Forgives
There are many actions of love because everything we do should be in love. But the last one I want to talk about here is the action of forgiveness. Love forgives – plain and simple. Jesus makes it very clear that if we don’t forgive others, neither will our sins be forgiven. Unforgiveness will bind you with chains of bitterness, and it will then begin to poison every area of your life.
Jesus is our example of how He forgave those spitting in His face, beating, mocking, whipping, and crucifying Him. His words were, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
Yes, the people crucifying Him knew exactly what they were doing, but they didn’t know the full impact of their actions. They were ignorant of the knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah. Many times we get hurt because hurting people hurt people.
Either way, 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, “It (love) is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]” (Amp).
Remember that God’s love in us makes it possible to love like that. Without God, we would all fail miserably in this area.
I encourage you to meditate on 1 Corinthians 13. Think about the actions of love and how God’s love in us makes it possible.