Love = Give

As I have been thinking about this, one particular verse keeps popping up in my mind and really only the first part of the verse. John 3:16 For God so loved He gave... He did not tell, He did not command, He did not require, He did not ask, He gave. God teaches us by setting the example. He gave the ultimate gift, He gave more than we could ever repay. In Acts 2:45 Luke is describing the early Church when he says - Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Again in Luke 10 Jesus is teaching about the good Samaritan - 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." Finally in Ephesians 3: 25 Paul says - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

It appears that there is a correlation between loving and giving. I want to challenge you as I challenge myself to think about how much we love. Do we say we love or do we show our love by giving. There are so many opportunities to give just within our fellowship, neighborhood and community. You can give your time to young believers. The Bible says to Go and make Disciples. Many young people in our church do not have a mentor at home, they do not have anyone to really show them what it means to follow Christ. Making Disciples requires more than a pat on the back at church, making Disciples requires more than just saying "I will pray for you" making Disciples requires that you give your time, your effort and yourself.

I am not trying to lay a heavy on you but I think most of you who read posts like this know that we are called to more than just showing up on Sunday morning for an hour or two. We are called to be actively involved in what God is doing in our church, our community and around the world. The Bible is a book of action. Take a look at how many action verbs are used in the Bible, words like give, carry, run, walk, fight, feed, go, make and on and on. Below is a link that is about 3 minutes long that shows how one guy decided to show his love by giving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD4f-KkAqwM&feature=related