Truth and Love

DEVOTION 1 JOHN TRUTH AND LOVE 1 John 3:16-20 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. NIV Should we all go around dying for each other? If so there would not be any of us left, so this has to mean to put others before our self so to speak. If we say we love each other than we need to see how selfish we are when it comes to all the stuff we have and especially our time. But here we are looking more closely at all the material goods we have and not being willing to just give it away to someone who is in need. It sure is easy enough to tell them, “I will pray for you brother” and then maybe not even do that. It is far better if all we intend to do is pray for them, that we do it right then and there in their presence, even laying hands on them during our prayer. But it cannot be just words according to this statement by God. We have to be not only willing to give some stuff up, but actually do it, helping the brother in need in a real and tangible way. Sometimes is it easy enough to simply hand over the cash, at least a quantity that is not going to put any stress on our own financial situation, yet giving up something tangible, something we bought because we liked it, and we have a certain sense of value about it, that might be a bit harder. Could this be a part of laying down our own life? Could this be putting aside self for others? It would seem we need to just give, not lend our stuff, our money, and do it in such a manner, with love, so that our dear brother or sister does not feel embarrassed or ashamed of their need, or feel guilty for having a need. Now it may be easy for us to judge them , thinking their need is due to their own bad choices, and so we have no responsibility to have pity on them, but maybe we could teach them by pointing out their bad choices in hopes they can credit their thinking. It sure is a good thing Jesus did not spent time telling us about all our bad choices, but simply laid down his life for us. Yes he taught us the truth, but he did not require us to make all the corrections so we could be perfect, he still laid down his life for us, He loves us, and the truth is we should love each other.