2 TIMOTHY 2:22 - LOVE IS AN ACTION WORD

LOVE IS AN ACTION WORD
by Susan R. Slade

Flee also youthful lusts:

but follow righteousness, faith, charity²⁶, peace,

with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22 (KJV)

Rather than embracing erotic love, physical pleasures, gluttonous appetites, and miserly wealth, Paul instructed Timothy to run after Christlike, self-sacrificing love.

As a pastor, one should embrace the principles that Christ embodied. A pastor should be eager to visit those in hospitals, the bereaved, and those in prison. He should reach out to those members in nursing homes or confined to homes. Paul gave Timothy explicit instructions considering widows, but today that might include single parents or grandparents caring for their grandchildren. The pastor may not be able to personally minister to each member of the congregation, but he should encourage a plan for others to do so. He may, of necessity, delegate these responsibilities. However, he needs to lead workers to lovingly minister to those in need.

The agape principle is that we choose to love. It is a love that springs from the heart of God and is relentless and passionate whether our emotions are involved or not. It is not so much loving because as it is loving despite—loving whether the recipient of the love seems worthy or even appreciative or not. No matter what their response is, the godly person continues to demonstrate God’s love. This kind of love comes from an eternal rather than a temporal perspective.

Not only paid pastors are called to demonstrate this kind of love. All of us as believers are called to share the love of Jesus with everyone within our circle of influence. Brainstorm specific ways you can spread the love of Jesus with people you know. If you have children, plan ways to include them in loving deeds in order to teach them that love is an action word.