Be Helpful
1 John 3:16-17 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
It’s one thing to talk about kindness and tender-heartedness. They’re good things, but words are cheap. Don’t get me wrong, a little word of kindness here and there can be an incredibly powerful thing. When someone’s having a bad day, and you come along with a word of encouragement, it can light up their whole world.
But if all we ever do is speak, well, it starts to wear a little thin after a while. Because sometimes, people need a helping hand. And there’s nothing quite as powerful as doing love. Not just speaking it, but doing it in a practical way, right into someone’s area of need.
Actions speak louder than words. That powerful truth played itself out on a Cross on Calvary two thousand years ago:
We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? (1 John 3:16-17)
We know that God loves us not just because He says He does, but because through Christ’s incredible suffering on that Cross, we know He does. And as a direct result of the sacrificial love that God poured out through the suffering of Jesus for you and for me, you and I are called to lay down our lives for one another.
That implies sacrifice. That implies suffering. It’s not always convenient to lay down your life for someone else. In fact, I’d go as far as to say, it’s rarely, if ever, convenient or comfortable to lay down your life for someone else.
And then, just to remind us that we’re not talking about some lofty theory here, the Holy Spirit guided the Apostle John to bring it down to our level; to apply it practically to our lives and our relationships:
How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
The more economically developed a society becomes, the more self-sufficient we become, the less likely we are to help one another in practical ways. In places where life is an economic struggle, people routinely help one another in practical ways, because they have to, to survive.
But the wealthier we become, the less likely we are to help. So … here’s a powerful life skill for you to live out.
Who, in your circle of family, friends, work colleagues or acquaintances needs practical help, today? A child minded, a lift down to the chemist to pick up a prescription, a lawn mowed, and yes, even some money to make the next car payment.
Actions speak the love of Christ into people’s lives, far more powerfully than words.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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