Action and Truth

Are you putting your faith into action regularly? ...or are you all talk?

Action and Truth

This week's devotions are written by my son, Bryant Forshee, Lead Student Pastor for Cross Church, Springdale, AR campus.

- Pastor Danny

"Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth."

(1 John 3:18, CSB)

I hope you took up the challenge yesterday and motivated or stirred up a brother or sister in Christ to love and do good works yesterday! If you have not already, read 1 John 3:18! This is a POWERFUL verse, and it may be a verse that you are familiar with.

1 John 3:18 was the passage of scripture that Cross Students were looking at last Wednesday night. I had my message done, and I was ready to go, but it seemed that the message was missing an illustration. Well, it was about 4:30 p.m. on a rainy, gross Wednesday night when I had a student walk into my office and tell me about what he and two other people just did. The student explained to me that in the pouring rain, he and two other guys drove to where a friend had popped his tire and changed the tire, getting drenched in the process. At that moment, I thought to myself: 1 John 3:18! These guys all follow Jesus, and when they saw a fellow believer in need, they didn't just love in word or speech, but they sprang into action! They didn't just hit their fellow believer with, "That stinks. Sorry, bro," but they responded with, "We are on our way!" They braved the elements and made sure that their brother in Christ was able to make it to church that night!

I was so encouraged by those dudes and their boldness and helpfulness to their brother in Christ. I hope that their example of loving in action and in truth is an encouragement to you as well! I hope their example will lead you to love a brother or sister in Christ today in action and truth. Maybe that looks like you bringing that person coffee or taking them out to lunch. Maybe it looks like you sending an encouraging text or making an encouraging phone call. Maybe it looks like you sending an e-gift card to that brother or sister in Christ. I don't know what it looks like for each one of us, but I would encourage and challenge us all to put 1 John 3:18 into ACTION TODAY!

If you go and read a couple verses above 1 John 3:18, you will see the motivation behind loving others in action and in truth. Verse 16 says: "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." Jesus was the ultimate example of loving in action and truth, and we, as followers and imitators of Jesus Christ, need to show love in action. So today, let's all apply our faith by putting it into concrete actions.

Application: