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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARY 3, 2002 "IN DEED AND IN TRUTH" You may not recognize the short title of this article. It is but a portion of a verse found in 1 John 3:18, and is part of a passage that teaches the importance of action as it relates to love. John teaches us that conduct matters, and that love that is not demonstrated by actions is not really love at all. John wrote, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:16 - 18) I suspect that one of the easiest things in the world to do is to say, "I love you." For such a statement to be true, however, is another story altogether. Last Tuesday I spoke at another funeral in Louisville. It seems that I have been doing quite a bit of that lately as dear friends and brothers and sisters in Christ have passed from this life. The last year and a half have truly been tear drenched, but it has also given me the opportunity to learn. I have seen incredible acts of love as those who died were drawing near to death. I have seen sons and daughters care for their dying parent in the face of great personal hardships. I have seen spouses literally "give themselves", "spend and be spent", in the service of their dying mate. I have seen brethren, with no blood relationship to the dying except through the "blood of the Lamb", change the clothing of a dying saint who has lost all control of his or her bodily functions. I have seen folks travel a great distance to be at the funeral, just to let the surviving family members know how much they care. I have seen so many people say "I love you", and demonstrate it so clearly. At the same time, I have seen things that cause me to just shake my head and thank God that I am not the judge. I have seen children of the deceased just weep and wail and put on quite a show; crying out how much they loved their mom or dad - but their actions while mom or dad were alive say that is a lie. They were rebellious, selfish, and ungodly; and from the time they were old enough to do so, brought their parents nothing but heartache. I had such children come up to me after the services, tears streaming down their cheeks, and say, "That was beautiful! That was just what mom (or dad) would have wanted you to say." What I had said was a call for them to come back to the Lord, to be faithful; or at least to honor the memory of their departed parent by godly living. Yet almost before the last bit of dirt hit the top of the vault, they were right back to the lifestyle they had chosen. As I read this paragraph, it strikes me that it may sound like I'm mad - and I guess that I am. I hate the hypocrisy of it all. God's entire plan for man is built upon love. The young children of this congregation have been learning John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is the very thing that John had reference to in the passage we referred to earlier from 1 John 3. God didn't just say that He loved man - He demonstrated it with the greatest manifestation of love that the world will ever know. Consider 1 John 4:7 - 12. John wrote, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us." Once again John made the point that God demonstrated His love by what He did. He sent His Son to die for us. It is an easy thing to say, "I love God". It is something else altogether to prove it. In 1 John 5:2 & 3, we find, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." Does my conduct demonstrate my love for God? Do I do even the simplest things that He has asked me to do? Do I study His Word regularly? Do I faithfully attend all of the services of this congregation that I am physically able to attend, considering my brethren "to provoke unto love and good works"? It is so easy to say, "I love God", but does the evidence of my conduct back that up? Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." In verse 21, He said, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him." In verse 24, the Lord said, "He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings:". When it comes to God, is my love real; or is it in word and not in deed? Think of this as it relates to our fellow man. Once again from the passage in 1 John 3, we all know and understand that if I am standing next to someone who is starving to death and I have the capability of giving them something to eat and don't - I can say that I love them all I want and it is just not true! James wrote in James 2:14 - 17, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth in profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." It all fits in together. How can I say I love my fellow man if my conduct doesn't prove it? The answer is simple, "I can't!" We have something that man needs more than food, or clothing, or shelter - we have the truth. We have the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That gospel is all about love - demonstrated love on the part of God. The question is, are we going to demonstrate our love by telling people about it. Are we going to love "in deed and in truth". If I understand the scriptures correctly, I believe that God is telling us to put our money where our mouth is, so to speak. One of the most scathing rebukes ever issued by the Lord dealt with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and is found in Matthew 23. He began in verses 2 - 4, by saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." "For they say, and do not!" Seven times in the remaining verses of that chapter Jesus would say, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" To say something like "I love you" or "I love God" or "I love my fellow man" is easy. God wants it to be real, proven and demonstrated by our conduct. Greg Litmer
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