Loving Actions

I Jn 3:16-24
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(NIV)



There once was a young man that was dying and decided to give his vital organs to people that needed transplants to continue living. The time came that he died and his mother grieved greatly at the loss of her son. For over a year she could not get over the death of her son. The Chief Surgeon that oversaw her son's death heard about the grieving mother and scheduled a meeting with her at a minister’s home. He also contacted all the people that received an organ transplant from her son. They all came to this meeting with their spouses and children. When the grieving mother arrived she did not understand why there were so many people at the minister’s house. As she came in the Minister talked with her for a bit and told her these people had something to tell her. The first man introduced himself, his wife, and his children. Then he took her hand and said, "Thank you, your son saved my life." He put her hand over his heart. Your son gave me his heart so I could live. One by one they came to her and thanked her for her son.

Although she lost her son she could now see that her son was a hero. He gave of himself so others could live and be spared of the grief of death.

Anyone can verbally say, "I love you." It is easy and effortless to say those three words. The real challenge is to communicate, "I love you" without using words at all. That is what Jesus did. He did not say that he loved us he demonstrated with his everyday life how much he loved people. Actions talk louder then words. The way we live everyday communicates how we love God and how we love others.

Copyright Greg Graham 2006