My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18 KJV
The Context:
John speaks to people he calls 'children'. Children have a common affinity with the parents. There will be some form of connection, mainly by blood, then genes and facial resemblance. As it is in the physical, so it is first in the spiritual. We are children of God when there is a blood connection: the blood of Jesus. Creation is the first stage; consecration is the second and most important stage. All of us are created by God, but until you take the step into salvation and consecration, you don't get to be called 'a son of God'. God has already laid out the conditions for sonship, as John 1: 12 says: 'But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God'. It is therefore important to start by sorting out my identity: am I just created, or am I consecrated as a child of God? The world cannot understand love is because it does not have or know God.
The Charge:
For all who have sorted out their identity, there is a call to a particular lifestyle. I am not called to live as I please, but to live to please the One I look like. I was saved from sin so that I can live by a different standard. The world may have its own definitions and demands, but because my allegiance is to the One who saved me, I live by the definitions and demands of His Spirit. One of such words that the world has tried to define is 'LOVE'. Movies refer to 'making love'; people use it so deceptively these days that it is difficult to find the real version anymore. However, no matter how hard it may seem, or how far a lie goes, it can never outrun the truth. God has a definition of love, and my life will only make sense and have impact when it is lived subject to God's definition of love. Which one do I hold on to? Do I just say it or do I live it out on a daily basis, even if it hurts or is not returned?
The Conclusion:
Love is not first about what I say; the fruit is in what I do. It is easy to form the words, as talk is cheap, but when the demand to look outside myself comes, what do I do? Can I lay myself down for people to walk over me, or am I too important to serve tables? Do I just know the right words, with no idea how to put the words into action? The natural man is naturally deceptive, as God says 'the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked'. You cannot rely on the words of the natural man. Love is first and foremost the nature of God, and only those who have their identity in Him can live it out indeed. You cannot give what you don't have, and you cannot place a demand on an account into which you have not first made deposits. If I want to experience God's love, I must first embrace God's love. When I have it, it will flow naturally out of me. I ask myself again: 'Who am I?' The answer will define the output of my life. God's time of favour is here.
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