Written by Kara Benson, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
What is your love language? As a freshman in college, I heard my Bible professor ask our class if we knew that God had a love language. Most students silently stared at him while a few glanced around the room to observe puzzled facial expressions. Our professor smiled, opened his Bible to Hebrews 6:10, and read, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” One of God’s love languages is acts of service for His people. Since then, that verse has become one of my favorites because it helps me understand how to love God—serve His people.
My friend lived out that verse in the following school year. During finals week, Lydia asked if she could come over to my dorm before our health and safety check. Even though I was feeling overwhelmed and busy packing for spring break, I said that she was welcome to come. When I walked into the living area, I discovered that she had washed all the dirty dishes and cleaned the toilet for all the girls in our suite. What kind of a friend does that? A true friend. I almost wished she hadn’t because I did not feel deserving of her friendship. However, I am so thankful that by what she did, she taught me about service.
Years ago, I read a book entitled Love Does. That title has stuck with me because of the clarity of its message. Love is busy. Love is active. Love is not simply having good feelings for someone. Love does. Before the Passover Feast, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet (John 13). When He had finished, He tells them, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (13:14). Galatians 5:13 teaches us, “[we] were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Instead of pursuing self, pursue serving brothers and sisters in Christ.
Romans 12:9-13 highlights serving others as a characteristic of love. It says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Let’s focus in on verse 10. Can we honestly say that we are lovingly devoted to our Christian family?
Devotion to our Christian family requires action. Faith without works is dead, as we learn from James 2:17. James explains that the combination of Abraham’s actions and his faith in God is credited to him as righteousness; “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” (2:22). James emphasizes this point again in verse 24, teaching that “a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” Unlike the demons’ belief in God (as described in verse 19), true belief in God will manifest itself in our actions. Jesus teaches, “Whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:27-28).
Earlier in Matthew, Jesus teaches us to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [food, drink, and clothing] will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33). When we look at our lives, what fills our time? When we look at the weeks and weekends on our calendar, what do we see? Are we busy seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness? Or have we become more consumed with social media, hobbies, traveling, sports games, and entertainment? If we truly assess how we spend our evenings and weekends, we may find that we are giving too much of our precious time to the pursuits of this world rather than storing up treasures in heaven.
We might not be spending our time doing something sinful. However, our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). If Satan cannot convince us to abandon our faith, he may very well distract us from living out our faith. Let’s not allow even the good things of this world to keep us from following our Lord. Let us “be very careful how [we] live—not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity” (Eph. 5:15-16). Let us redeem our time by helping the Lord’s people and thereby showing our love for God.
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