Actions speak louder than words

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. - 1 John 3v15-18 

We have a clear cut mandate above – whoever does not love the brethren does not abide in God. I mentioned actions at the very end of yesterday’s thoughts. Here we have the Bible example of what kind of love we are talking about. 

Here is how we know what love really is – Jesus laid down His life for the brethren. Pretty basic isn’t it? That might be nice if we could leave it there. But it doesn’t end there. Since Jesus laying down His life for us is the pattern we ought also be ready to lay down our lives for the brethren. 

Even that might be okay. We can say in our minds, ‘Bless God, if it came down to it I would give my life for the brethren!’ Chances are we will never have to do that so it is easy enough to say it. 

Well, we don’t get away that easy. Here is where the rubber meets the road – ‘Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, how does the love of God abide in Him?’ 

We may never be called upon to gives our lives for each other. Maybe we will. No matter what our proof of love is meeting the needs of others. It is easy to say, ‘I love you’ but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. When it comes to love actions do indeed speak louder than words.