Love Is an Action

In review of Revelation 2:4-5 it says, “You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.”

Bottom Line:

I have something against you. You do not love me or each other as much as you used to. Think how far you have fallen and return to me. Change your hearts, the way you think and act, and do what you did at first

What this means to me:

I need to make sure that that my love for God and for others does not falter. When it does, recognize it and return to a changed heart, one that thinks and acts and does like it did when I first came to Christ. What I’m learning is that love is an action, not just emotion. Love is something I do. It’s easy to love somebody who loves me. It takes no effort at all. However real love acts and does the loving thing when people around me don’t deserve it, when they don’t respond, or when I don’t feel it. Acting in love when I don’t feel it is the highest form of love. It’s a more mature love when I act loving toward a person who does not respond the same way. I’m also  learning that it’s easier to act my way into a feeling than it is to feel my way into an action. Feelings will follow, because feelings follow behavior. In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus says to the Church, “You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (ESV). What Jesus told the Church is the same principle for renewing the love in any relationship, even my marriage. I remember, I repent, and I do the things I did at first. The reason the love went away is that I stopped doing the things that created the love in the early days. God doesn’t want me to live by my feelings. He wants me living by faith. Sometimes God lets the feelings go away, then I have to love by faith and live by faith. When I love somebody and do the loving thing, even when they are not responding and even maybe when they are retaliating, I are loving by faith. That is an action. I need to remember that often my attitude also has a lot to do with it.  I want to remember to stop what I’m doing and acknowledge them with a smile (even if it’s an IM or voice call.) The simple act of kindness and respect will go a long ways toward showing other I love them by my actions.