True love

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 3.16-18

We are not to be surprised at opposition, but we are to respond with love. Nobody can answer love. Ancient Rome was won over by the church, not by riots and hatred and speaking evil of the emperor, but with love.

How then do we know how to love?

Here is how we know love – Jesus laid down His life for us.

That is quite an example for us to try and follow. Jesus laid down His life for us and we are called to lay down our lives for the brethren. If Jesus is the pattern, and He is, we must be willing to literally die for our brethren. We may or may not be called to do that, but even is we aren’t we are to be willing to lay down the lives we are living with regard to others. Our lives are not really ours to live – the belong to Christ and they belong to others.

True love means we lay down our lives
True love means we don’t let needs of others go unmet
True love means we act our our love, we don’t just say it

It is easy to say ‘I love you.’ What makes it real is when we act out ‘I love you.’

Let our love not only be in our words, but let it me seen in our deeds and in truth. If Jesus is our example it is impossible to love too much. Let’s lay our lives on the altar and love others.