Love must move from our mouths into our habits. It must shape how we speak, lead, serve, parent, how we do business, and how we respond to people who can do nothing for us in return.
[00:00:37] Welcome to The Bible Speaks with your host Elgin Carelock. The Bible Speaks is a daily podcast dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, rightly dividing the word of truth, and learning how to apply it to our daily lives. You may contact Elgin at the address given at the end of the broadcast. And now, here's Elgin.
[00:01:02] Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit to another edition of The Bible Speaks, where we're studying God's word together. Today's discussion is titled, When Love Calls.
[00:01:24] Our scriptural inspiration comes from 1 John 4, verse 11. And reading from the New International Version, it reads, Dear Friends, Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. That verse brings love out of the world of emotion and places it in the world of responsibility.
[00:01:54] In other words, true love according to God is not just a feeling to be experienced. It's a decision to be made, a discipline to be practiced, and a lifestyle to be lived. Love isn't proven by how deeply we feel in the moment. It's proven by how faithfully we choose to show up, forgive, serve, cover, and care.
[00:02:24] Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us first. Thank you for showing us through Jesus what real love looks like. Open our hearts today and teach us to love beyond our feelings, beyond convenience, and beyond selfishness. Help us reflect your heart in the way we treat others, and let your love heal what is broken in us and around us.
[00:02:54] In Jesus Christ's name we pray. Amen. We live in a time where people talk about love constantly, but often define it incorrectly. Many see love as chemistry, attraction, comfort, or agreement. But God's love is deeper than all of that. God does not ask us to love only when it's easy, when people deserve it, or when we feel like it.
[00:03:25] He calls us to love with the same love he showed us. Sacrificial, unconditional, consistent, and active. This is a high calling. Because it's one thing to love people who understand you, appreciate you, and give back. It's something very different to love when you're tired, disappointed, misunderstood, or wounded.
[00:03:53] Yet that is exactly where the love of God becomes most visible. This connects beautifully to what we talked about in the episode titled Fellowship. Fellowship is not just gathering together. It's making a space for people to experience the love of God through our presence, encouragement, and willingness to carry one another. Love is what makes fellowship holy.
[00:04:22] Without love, we can gather and still leave people lonely. Without love, we can speak truth and still leave people wounded. But when love leads, people begin to feel safe enough to heal. And that healing does not begin only in church. It begins in homes and conversations.
[00:04:49] It begins in how we respond when someone fails us. It begins in how we treat strangers. How we honor the overlooked. And how we show mercy when the world encourages indifference. Zechariah chapter 7 verses 9 through 10 reads, Administer true justice. Show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress.
[00:05:19] That is love in motion. Love is not passive. Love does something. Love notices, protects, and gives. Love tells the truth and stays steady. And let's be honest. We don't naturally love like that all the time. Our flesh wants love selectively. It wants to love when it's rewarded. It wants to withdraw when hurt.
[00:05:49] It wants to keep score. But the love of God does not work like that. Romans 5 teaches us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That means God did not wait for us to be lovable before he loved us. He loved us in our brokenness. And then called us higher.
[00:06:14] So when love calls, it is really God calling us to rise above ourselves. Sometimes, love calls you to forgive. To be patient. To be patient. To tell the truth gently. Sometimes love calls you to help carry someone else's burden. Be quiet long enough to truly hear another person's pain. That is why love is a discipline. It has to be practiced.
[00:06:44] 1 John 3 and 18 reads, Let us not love with words or speech, but with action and in truth. Love must move from our mouths into our habits. It must shape how we speak, lead, serve, how we do business, and how we respond to people who can do nothing for us in return. This is also connected to the Kingdom Entrepreneur 2.0.
[00:07:14] In the marketplace, love changes the way we serve customers, lead teams, and steward opportunities. When love leads, people are not treated like transactions. They are treated like souls. When love leads, integrity grows, trust grows, and impact grows. The Father is lifted up, not only by what we say, but by how we love people in practical ways.
[00:07:44] And here's the beautiful part. When we walk in that kind of love, we do not just reflect God to the world. We begin the healing of our lands. Why? Because so much of what is broken in the world is rooted in selfishness. Pride breaks families. Greed breaks communities. Bitterness breaks relationships. Indifference breaks nations.
[00:08:12] But love begins restoring what selfishness tears apart. Love makes room for mercy. Rebuilds trust. Soften hard places. Love creates environments where truth and grace can work together. Hosea 10 and 12 reads, Sow righteousness for yourselves. Sow righteousness for yourselves. Reap the fruit of unfailing love. That means love produces something.
[00:08:42] It changes atmospheres. It heals wounds. It opens hearts. It makes room for God to move. So when love calls, answer it. Not tomorrow. Not when it's convenient. Not only when you feel inspired. Answer it today. Choose patience. Mercy. Service. Choose the kind of love that looks like Jesus.
[00:09:11] Because in a cold world. Love is one of the clearest proofs that God is still in control. Father God, thank you for loving us with a love that is faithful, sacrificial, and true. Teach us to love like you. Help us not to be ruled by feelings, pride, or selfishness, but by your spirit.
[00:09:39] Show us where we need to forgive. Where we need to serve. Where we need to be patient. And where we need to reflect your heart more clearly. Let your love flow through our homes, churches, work, and communities. And as we answer the call to love, let healing begin in our lives and in our land. In Jesus Christ's name we pray. Amen.
[00:10:09] I thank you for spending time with me on today. And I look forward to our conversation next Sunday. Until then, God bless. The Bible Speaks is sponsored by C Squared Realty and New Gen Construction Group to help spread the gospel to the corners of the earth.
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