My “read the Bible in a year” has taken me a little longer than a year. I think I’m going on 15 months. But I think as long as you’re in the Word, then the time frame doesn’t really matter. 

I’ve just finished First, Second, and Third John so the end is in sight. I thought I’d share with you this week a verse that really stuck out to me in First John.

For those that are not familiar with the Bible, John is one of Jesus’ original twelve disciples who would eventually become an apostle and he has written many of the books in the Bible. 

The book of First John is his letter to fellow believers of Christ, and in it he speaks heavily on the subject of love.

Jesus tells us that the great commandments are these, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39 ESV.

John reiterates the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself in the book of First John. And he lets the reader know that love is an action, not just a feeling. 

He states, “ …let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 ESV.

This verse really struck me.

Living this Christian life cannot be passive. Everyday must be a conscious effort to deny our own desires and instead follow God’s will.

The first part of the verse, “let us not love in word or talk” has a deliberate meaning. We can’t just say we love our neighbor if we aren’t willing to help them when they need it most. Can you truly say you love someone and then put no action behind your words?

The Holy Spirit has put conviction on my heart because it can be so easy to look the other way when your love is truly needed.

When John says to love in deed and in truth he means for us to get up and help when we see our neighbor in need.

It can be as simple as offering to drop off a meal for someone who has recently gone through surgery. Or offering to babysit for a single mom who may need to run errands. 

Or it can be huge like offering financial support to someone in a dire situation. Or becoming a Missionary and leaving your country to spread the Gospel to people who haven’t yet heard.

This love John talks about is a sacrifice of your own time, money, energy or all three. It’s taking action when you see someone struggling. 

The reason Jesus says to love your neighbor as yourself is because he wants you to think about what kind of help you would appreciate in those situations and then give that help to the one in need. 

Nowhere in that statement does Jesus say love your neighbor only as much as they deserve or love your neighbor when it’s convenient. If we claim to be followers of Christ then we must follow his commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves and John perfectly illustrates how we must do that; in deed and in truth.

I must remind myself of this daily. I must make an effort to love my family, my community, my friends, strangers I meet, anyone that comes into my life. I need to love them with deeds and with truth. I need to be genuine and heartfelt and do it because Jesus did it for me. I didn’t deserve it and still he loved me.

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16 ESV