by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.”

Philemon 16–17

Love is a giving up of one’s self to better the life of someone else.

I once read this father’s account of his child’s love:

“One day I took Helen (eight years old) and Brandon (five years old) to the Cloverleaf Mall in Hattiesburg to do a little shopping. As we drove up, we spotted a Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler parked with a big sign on it that said, ‘Petting Zoo.’ The kids jumped up in a rush and asked, ‘Daddy, Daddy. Can we go? Please. Please. Can we go?’

“‘Sure,’ I said, flipping them both a quarter before walking into Sears. They bolted away, and I felt free to take my time looking for a scroll saw. A petting zoo consists of a portable fence erected in the mall with about six inches of sawdust and a hundred little furry baby animals of all kinds. Kids pay their money and stay in the enclosure enraptured with the squirmy little critters while their moms and dads shop.

“A few minutes later, I turned around and saw Helen walking along behind me. I was shocked to see she preferred the hardware department to the petting zoo. Recognizing my error, I bent down and asked her what was wrong.

“She looked up at me with those giant limpid brown eyes and said sadly, ‘Well, Daddy, it cost fifty cents. So, I gave Brandon my quarter.’ Then she said the most beautiful thing I ever heard. She repeated our family motto, ‘Love is Action!’”

Love is not cheap. Love is not easy, nor is it simple. Love always costs something—time, money, effort, personal space, emotions, etc. Love is not simply a noun used to express feelings. It’s not a verb used to show emotion. Love is an act; a giving up of one’s self to better the life of someone else.

With that in mind, who do you love? For whom are you willing to sacrifice? For whom are you willing to give of yourself so that their life will be better? According to God, we are to love everyone. From your closest friend to a stranger you pass on the street, we are to be willing to give of ourselves to help them if they need it.

Notice in our verses that Paul was calling on Philemon to love Onesimus. He was begging him to put away the injustice that Onesimus did to him and love and accept him back into his household. He was calling for Philemon’s action of acceptance, not his emotional feeling of acceptance.

People in our society use the word “love” flippantly. Love has become just another word in our vocabulary. But God says that true love is an action.

Are you displaying love to those around you? Not are you feeling love toward them, but are you actively setting aside your own agenda to help meet one of their needs? Are you going out of your way to be kind to them? Determine today that no matter how it inconveniences you, you will take time to actively love someone today.

To learn more about Pastor Chappell's books, Sunday school curriculum, and spiritual leadership resources, please visit strivingtogether.com.

To learn more about Pastor Paul Chappell and his ministry, please visit paulchappell.com or follow him on twitter.  

Daily Bible Reading
2 Chronicles 23-24 • John 15