so strong it held the man to an I-beam. There is a better bond! And that’s why this famous picture is embedded by Paul’s letter to the Colossian church.If my memory is correct, that glue had to be applied in two steps. There was a tube of glue and a tube of activator. Only when the two were properly combined was the super-bond created. So, if people bought it and didn’t follow the application instructions, they didn’t get things to stick together. Believers have an even better bond:
Above all, put on love–the perfect bond of unity.
Genuine love of God exhibits itself in loving those around us because God loves them. John says the one who does not love does not know God because God is love, (I John 4:8). The bond of our lives is loving God and loving others (1st & 2nd Commandments). This demonstrates our unity with God in love. God so loved the world He gave… (John 3:16). Christ demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners He died for us, (Romans 5:8). This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers, (I John 3:16).
Do you see it? Love has an ‘activator’. It’s called: action! We act 
on behalf of God to give Him glory. We act for the good of others to bring them to Christ or to build them up in Christ. Action is at the heart of love. And like Jesus, our action is not necessarily easy or convenient for us. Action may mean sacrifice.
It sounds so good to sit in church and sing, O, how I love Jesus! It’s quite another thing to go outside and activate that love in the lives of others. Love requires giving our time, talents, treasure, and being vulnerable. And those are the things it takes to move this ministry, or any other ministry, forward: love, time, talents, treasure, and vulnerability.
Bless someone today by loving them. Take action on their behalf! There will a specific way to do that in the next post (see note below sign-off).
Soli Deo Gloria!
NOTE: We are having some technical difficulty with the website. The ‘new post’ function doesn’t seem to work. HOWEVER, I can edit. Who knows why??? So today’s post is an ‘edit’ of a popular post from December 2013. It’s still worth a look. Please pray for the tech side of things. VERY IMPORTANT news to publish. Will do so as soon as possible. Thanks!
Great post.
LOVE thIs post! Everything we need in living our life can be found by understanding the power of the three words, “God is love”. When my dad was facing his last days, his pastor asked him what his favorite Bible verse was. I sat there in anticipation, waiting to hear what great passage or verses dad would quote or describe. He did not hesitate long and said, “God is love”. To be honest, my initial thought was, that’s it? Based on his response, I began to study 1 John 4 and specifically 1 John 4:8. I had read it before of course, but it took on a whole new meaning to me when I compared my dad’s spiritual life to this scripture. He loved God, his family, his church and others. He did anything the church asked him to do. He looked after his nephews and nieces after his brothers and sisters died. He and his best friend delivered S.S. material to the sick and home bound. Even in his later years when his health was not very good, he still visited people in their homes and hospital rooms even though he should not have been in the hospital. I used to encourage him to not go to the hospital for fear of him getting sick. So, one day I asked him why he insisted on going. His response was, ” I think that is what God has called me to do”. I never brought the subject up again. What really brought true understanding to this scripture’s impact on my dad’s life was when several MEN told me “I loved your dad!” I hope at least one person tells my son that at my funeral!
Don’t worry dad, they ALL will – you’re awesome!
I agree, Jason.
During a long week of “Atlanta-weather”, catching up on some reading. Jason (and Wayne), in case I miss the funeral let me tell you NOW … “I love your dad! He is the epitome of a Christian gentleman & was always a true friend to me.”