Love: Not in Word, but in Deed and in Truth

I grew up in an era when the word “love” was used rather sparingly. Honestly, I cannot recall my father ever saying, “I love you” to me. What I do recall is riding in the car beside him almost everywhere, sitting beside him as a toddler while he read to me in front of the fireplace, riding the Ferris wheel with him at the fair, his teaching me how to tell time, disciplining me, making me feel safe and valued. Wait– Instead of saying it, he demonstrated it! He showed me what it looked like to be loved.

Many people say they love Jesus. They may even attend church or watch virtually. But they also frequent nightclubs and bars, attend wild parties, engage in sex freely outside the bonds of marriage, or with someone else’s wife or husband, and follow wherever their fleshly appetites lead them. But those things are not godly, and they are fading. Good looks and youthful vitality are temporary.

Jesus said, “All who love me will do what I say’ (John 14:23a NLT). And God said, “I correct and discipline everyone I love” (Revelation 3:19a NLT).

Whether we say “I love you” to God or each other, the words are meaningless without actions. “For God so loved [us] that He gave…” He did not merely say, “I love you,” He demonstrated it! How do we win people to Christ? How do we lead people? How do we help people? We do all that, not by saying “I love you!” but by loving them in deed and truth.