01 28 08 Loving on People

“But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.”
(1 John 3:17-18 NET)


Francis of Assisi once wrote, “Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words.” Jesus’ brother James witnessed our Lord LOVING ON PEOPLE throughout his life. Whether it was the woman at the well, the blind man, the cripple, or the man possessed by a legion of demons. Jesus spent time with others, shared their joy, and wept along with others in time of sorrow. So later on, James would instruct us to be doers of His Word, not simply hearers. Love is not a feeling; it is a verb! It is action. It is a lifestyle.

The New Living Translation translates 1 John 3:18 like this: “Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.” It begins with me doing more than just talking about helping. I must do more than the stale “I’ll pray for you” when I hear of another’s needs. I must be willing to act: do my best to meet that need or at least find some means to meet it. Yes, I should pray and continue to pray, but prayer must have feet, hands, and labor as well! When non-believers witness a loving people they want to know why. When they experience that love for themselves, because we met their needs, they want to know our motives. The answer is Jesus. LOVING ON PEOPLE opens their heart up to Christ and brings us closer to Him as well.


We serve God by serving others and we can serve even better when we serve with other believers. (Ecclesiastes 4:9) It's better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth, and share the benefits of community, fellowship, and seeing God work through one another to increase His Kingdom! God put us here to work as community and as a body. Let’s carry out that task in deliberate acts of LOVING ON PEOPLE as Christ did!!