John 13:34 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…”
There are many different ways for love to be shown to one another. One meaningful way is caring for others.
Recently my wife texted me pictures of the kitchen table completely cleaned off and the nursery floor straightened with toys put away. Her text read, “Do you know what these pics are of? Things that Logan did to bless me this morning.”
My nine-year-old son had picked up his baby sister’s floor and cleaned off the kitchen table to show his momma some love. He didn’t have to do it. No one told him to do it. He just did it because he knew it would matter to her. And it did. She followed that text up with a graphic of a huge heart made up of smaller hearts.
Loving one another is also an important part of our Christian witness. My favorite verse is John 13:35. It continues after the command to love one another and gives another insight into it. In verse 35 Jesus tells his disciples “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” The fact that Christians show love should stand out to others.
In the book of Acts, we see the believers showing love by taking care of those who had needs (Acts 2:45). One result is that people noticed them. They had “favor with all the people (2:47).
Doesn’t this still happen today? In a world where news is focused on the negative, it is always refreshing to hear a story of someone going out of their way to help others. These are the stories that capture our hearts and our attention. So many times people are even amazed when my 14-year-old son, Luke, opens a door for a stranger at a restaurant. He naturally does this all the time (his mom is training him right) and people thank him and usually comment that they are impressed that someone so young would do that for them. They take notice.
At IDES our entire goal is to meet humanitarian needs and show the love of Christ at the same time. We call this Help and Hope. We want people to notice the love that we, and especially our volunteers and partners have as people are cared for through Hunger Relief, Medical Care, Community Development and Disaster Response.
Last year as IDES responded to Hurricane Ian on the Gulf Coast, a homeowner asked our volunteers why they had traveled multiple days to help him. They responded that they knew there was significant damage and they wanted to help. “But why?” the man asked. They responded that they were there on behalf of the local church we are working through (New Day Christian Church). He again asked, “But why would you come do that?”
One of our Disaster Coordinators had been listening and replied, “Because we are Christians, that’s what we do.” This homeowner responded with, “I’ve been an atheist my whole life. If this is what Christians do, I may need to give it another look.”
The care being given stood out. The homeowner took notice. This same answer to “Why are you helping me” has been given across the globe for two millennia. Our international partners regularly get asked this question and have the opportunity to share about the love of Christ.
Our Disaster Coordinator shared with me that he had seen this lifelong atheist in church the last two Sundays!
In Acts chapter 2 the believers showed love by taking care of those in need. One result was that they had favor with all the people. The rest of verse 47 continues, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
When you find an opportunity to love one another (Christians or non-Christians), people will likely notice. More importantly, they will know you are His disciples. Who knows? The result could be that the Lord will add to our number daily those who are being saved.
By David Stine, Excutive Director