Showing Love in the Little Things

     As February will soon be here, we often think of Valentine’s Day.  Gift giving, candy, flowers as well as cards are exchanged between those who want to demonstrate their love for a spouse or significant other.  However, as believers, we are to demonstrate God’s love every day to both those near and dear to us as well as to those who “despitefully use us.”

     Jesus gave us a number of important instructions when it comes to loving one another.  John 13:34-35

says, “A new commandment I give you; Love one another as I have loved you, so you also must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”  So our primary duty in the Body of Christ is to demonstrate love to one another just as our Lord did for us. This is not always an easy task because we are not perfect as our Savior was, and lets be honest...it is not always easy to love others. Even in a family, it can be difficult at times . This is where we need the Holy Spirit’s help to love sacrificially giving of our time, our talents and friendship to one another.  Considering the price our Savior paid to redeem us is it too much to ask that we put aside some time to love on other members of the Body?  What does this look like in practice?  We can encourage one another, visit the sick, comfort the bereaved, send a card or make a phone call. This shows others that we care about them. It isn’t so much in the “big” things we do...it is often in the little things we do that shows our care.

     Recently, I was having a “bad” day.  Nothing seemed to go right and I hated just about everything I was trying to do.  Ever have one of those “Satan inspired poor me” days?  Well, I was wallowing in my own self-made misery when I got a text message from our son.  It was so encouraging, and along with it, he sent a picture of our youngest grandson.  He could never have known how much I needed that simple message.  Sometimes, that is all it takes to demonstrate the love of Christ at just the moment a person needs it most. It isn’t complicated or costly to do it either. It was a small token of love that changed my outlook.

     Our Lord also told us something a little more difficult to do when it comes to showing love. Luke 6:32-36 tells us:  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Without the help of the Holy Spirit, this is a hard thing to do for any of us, but it demonstrates the love of Christ to our fellow man like nothing else can. The world does not live or love like this, but in Christ, we can and must.  

     Jesus summarizes how very important it is in the life of a believer to demonstrate His love to others.  In John 14:15, I love the way “The Message” says it:  “If you love Me, show it by doing what I’ve told you.  I will talk to the Father, and He’ll provide you another Friend (the Holy Spirit) so that you will always have someone with you.”  As we demonstrate our love for each other in the Body of Christ and outside of it, we are obeying the commandments of the Lord. And as the Lord said, He did send another Helper to live and abide in us to help us with this task.  We have only to ask in prayer for His assistance. To my way of thinking, the month of February is much more than flowers, candy and cards.  It is a month to remember how we are to love others with the agape love of Christ. Let us bring glory to His name by living and showing forth His love.  Selah!