Love in Action – In Word and Deed

I love TV. Movies, series, cooking or criminal investigative shows, I am here for it all. No genre is off-limits for me. Some TV programs I watch on my own because they have proven to be a little too feminine for my husband’s taste, but generally, watching TV is something we love to do together. When we decide to have a movie night at home, we typically lean towards picking a good thriller or action movie. These are our favourites. The suspenseful or action-packed scenes keep us on the edge of our seats, completely engrossed in the storyline. Sometimes we will talk about different scenes in such good movies, for months after we’ve watched them.

Thinking about one such movie got me reflecting on how action-packed the love of God is. Imagine getting excited to watch a movie by one of your favourite action heroes. Popcorn and drinks are all ready, and you begin to watch. After about thirty minutes you realise that the movie is quite flat, nothing exciting has happened yet and your action hero hasn’t done anything. He or she hasn’t sped away in a vehicle, rescued anyone, blown up anything, or run away from anyone. No one has shot at them, they haven’t jumped from any buildings and they aren’t even carrying a weapon. If you’re anything like me and these are some of the exciting scenarios that make a good action movie memorable, then you will probably stop mid-way and find something else to watch. What does this have to do with God or love you ask? You see, the love of God isn’t like a bad action movie which promises what it doesn’t deliver.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

~ 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

God’s love is full of action and just like any good movie, experiencing it will leave you talking about it for a long time to come. In fact, in the same way you would tell everyone you know, who hasn’t watched that particular great movie to watch it, you would want everyone you know who hasn’t experienced the love of God for themselves, to experience it. While there are many ways for us to experience the love of our Heavenly Father, I would like to explore one particular way that we often only use regarding romantic love.

Have you ever heard about the five love languages? Though this book by Gary Chapman was written in 1992, some people have not yet heard about this outline of five general ways that we express and experience love. The five are namely; words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, receiving gifts and physical touch. Though each of us can relate to every love language, it is said that of the five, we generally have one primary love language which is supported by one or two others. I was recently asked what mine are and my answer is that my primary love language is words of affirmation, supported by acts of service. After sharing my answer, I got to thinking about whether God gives and receives love in these ways too. I think He does. Let’s take for instance words of affirmation and acts of service.

If you are a words of affirmation person, like me, you most probably value verbal declarations of affection, hearing the words ‘I love you,’ compliments, words of appreciation and verbal encouragement. You may also appreciate these done through digital communication like texting and social media posts. These expressions make us feel seen, understood, appreciated and most importantly, loved. If you are an acts of service kinda person, then you most probably value when your loved ones go out of their way to make life easier for you. Things like pampering you when you’re sick, making coffee or tea for you in the morning, or buying some takeaway when they know you have had a busy day at work. To you, actions speak louder than words, and unlike your words of affirmation counterparts who prefer to hear how much they are loved, you want to be shown.

Does God like to receive or give love with verbal expressions? Does He prefer to give and receive love with activities where love is conveyed by action? In my experience, and even as evidenced in scripture I would venture to say yes. I would say that God embodies all five love languages and for the next three weeks we will look at each of them and just how this is demonstrated.

“They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.” ~ Revelation 7:12

God certainly receives and shows love through words of affirmation. The pages of scripture have words of affection we can direct to God scattered on almost every page. We are to look to His Word for us to correctly give Him the praise and worship He is due. This tells me that words of affirmation are a big deal to God. They are such a big deal that He too, affirms us in His love. God’s Word speaks of His true feelings towards us, affirming and encouraging us, over and over again. Even the words of reproof from God are to affirm us in the truth that He corrects only those He loves us.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~ Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

God receives and shows love through acts of service. Yes, there is nothing we can do for God that He “needs” us to do. Unlike us, God is complete all by Himself, without our efforts or actions. However, God does want to partner with us, His beloved, to achieve great things, bringing His kingdom to the earth. When we show God our love in action, it usually translates into daily acts of obedience and service. And just like with words of affirmation, He serves us with the actions of His love right back.

“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” ~Isaiah 64:4 (NLT)

Do you see how love takes action both with what we say to God and also with what we dedicate ourselves to do for Him and the advancement of His kingdom? I think it’s interesting how this confirms that we are made in the image of God. He has placed pieces of Himself in each of us and as we engage with one another, the pieces come together, all pointing back to Him. Whether you receive love through words, words of affirmation, deeds, or acts of service, I pray that you will open your heart to the mutual displays of love between you and your Heavenly Father. Just like you would prepare yourself for a good movie, popcorn and all, prepare yourself to actively bask in the love of the only one who can love you perfectly and unconditionally. Only then, can you love others well.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” ~ Hebrews 8:12 (Berean Study Bible)