Day 30 - Love First: What Does It Mean?

Love First: What Does It Mean?

My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
1 John 3:18-20 (The Message)

James Bryan Smith, in his Embracing the Love of God, wrote this profound thing: “God has created a world in which we are the ones who care for one another. To put it another way, God cares for us through one another.”

Francis Schaeffer, in his influential book The Mark of a Christian, wrote another profound thing: “Love—and the unity it attests to—is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father.”

Mother Teresa and her story of love for the poorest of the poor in India is well known. She observed the poorest people in India, she watched their lives, she observed their grief, she empathized with them, and she actively showed them the love of God. To her, love was only of use if it was put into and seen in action. She said things like: “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love...” and “You must give what will cost you something...”

She lived what she believed—love. She lived her calling and belief:

The fruit of silence is prayer.
The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.

Love First demands action.

Your Mission
Make a sacrifice on behalf of another today. Do it without recognition, even if you have to do it anonymously.