Free to Serve

11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

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 and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that 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 keep 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 The one who keeps God’s commands lives 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.

An old saying advises, “Put your money where your mouth is.” The underlying meaning is that if we believe in something or if we believe something is wrong, we should not just talk or complain about it; we should take action to support the cause or to fix the problem.

This is what the apostle John teaches about love. Love is not some idealistic concept to sit around and talk about. Love is shown to be real by our actions.

Love can get messy. Love sees the hurt and the brokenness in our world and takes action. Love goes out and serves ­others.

At the cross, Jesus took action to show the greatest love of all. He gave up his life for us, and he also instructed his followers to go out and demonstrate sacrificial love for others. The resurrection of Jesus empowers believers with the joy and freedom to live by his love.

God’s love fills us with a desire for honesty, integrity, humility, justice, and respect for all people. Jesus’ resurrection power frees us to go out and share the burdens of people who are suffering, to spend time with people who are lonely, and to seek justice for those who are persecuted and oppressed.

As you celebrate freedom in Christ through the resurrection, let God show you where you can serve and show his love today.

Lord Jesus, fill us with your love, justice, mercy, and compassion. Give us eyes to see the world as you see it, and give us the courage to serve others in your freeing love. Amen.