Learning How to Express My Love with My Time

In review of 1 John 3:18 it says, “We must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words.”

Bottom Line:

Show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it.

What this means to me:

I am to show love and the truth through my sincere actions, ones that are sincere, helpful and show true caring; not just empty words or talk. While everyone may have different amounts of energy, wealth and talent we all have one thing in common: time: 168 hours a week.  I only have a certain amount of allotted days, so I need to consider what my time is worth. Given this, the most valuable thing I can give someone is my attention, because when I give attention to somebody it communicates that, they matter to me, and that they are valuable. I’m telling them that they are worth listening to and worth my time. The essence of true, loving relationships is how much I give of myself to others. The second law of love is this: “The best expression of love is time.” The Bible says in 1 John 3:18, “We must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words” (GW). This is so true when it comes to family. Nothing can compensate for time; there is no amount of gifts, money, or clothes that can make up for it. Ephesians 5:2 reminds me, “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God” (NLT). Love means giving up. It means I give up my agenda for their agenda. It means I give up my time for their time. It means I give up my preference for their preferences. It means I give up what I’d rather do right now to do what they would rather do. This is a sacrifice. This is love. I’ve decided, especially given my busy schedule (work, ministry, school) that I just need to purposely take small moments in my schedule to reach out and talk with others and take an sincere interest in them. I pray and have faith that God will help me arrange my day in such a way, that I can get all of the things/commitments completed, but still show proper love to others.