Bible Reading: Matthew 25:34-40

When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!   Matthew 25:40

I once spent a summer teaching at Arrowhead Springs, the former headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ down in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California. During that summer, my family and I lived in Blue Jay, a little town up in the mountains beside beautiful Lake Arrowhead. So every day I drove down the mountain twice—once in the morning and again after lunch.

It’s hot in the San Bernardino Valley during the summer, with temperatures often breaking the 100-degree mark. During my trips up and down the mountain, I often saw cars pulled over to the side of the steep, winding road to the summit—hoods open, steam belching from their radiators. It was soon obvious to me that my teaching for God was pretty hollow if I didn’t do something to help the poor stranded mo­torists. All my talk about loving God was meaningless if I didn’t show love for these people in need.

So I came up with a plan. I kept four large water jugs in my trunk. Whenever I came across an overheated car on my daily drive on the mountain, I pulled over and offered to fill the radiator with water. People were overjoyed at the offer and grateful for the help. Once the radiator was full, I offered a copy of my book More Than a Carpenter and talked to the motorists about Christ. It was one of the best summers of ministry I have ever experienced.

Love isn’t an option for Christians. It’s a command. God is love, and people born of God must express his love. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35).

Love always goes two directions at once. When you love people in Christ’s name, you’re also loving God. Jesus taught that when you help anyone who needs love and care, you help him (see Matthew 25:34-40). And when you truly love God, you can’t help but love people too. As John wrote, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too” (1 John 4:20-21).

You can’t get around it, you can’t avoid it, you can’t push it aside: Love is part of your life as a Christian!

TALK: What obvious, practical thing can you do to share God’s love with people? What loving thing is within your reach to do right now?

PRAY: God, open our eyes to the obvious opportunities right around us to show love.

ACT: Make a list of the three places you spend the most time each week: What one thing can you do in each place to show God’s love?

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