1 John 3:16-17 says:
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Most of the time this passage is related to sharing physical goods to those in need, but as I was meditating upon it, I realised that when we keep the truth of the love of God from people, we are actually not loving them right.
Every time we choose to be quiet and not share the word of God, we are closing our hearts against our brothers and sisters.
This week, while waiting for the bus, an older man was waiting with me. I started with a “Hi” which is not very common on this side of the world.
Then I was battling with my mind whether I should say something or not. So, I decided to tell him: “Jesus loves you”. He said thanks, and we were quiet. After a few seconds, he asked me whether I was from a sort of religion, and that was the moment I started telling him how Jesus died for him and loves him despite everything.
We went on the bus, and he had so much joy in his eyes. When he arrived at his bus stop, he waved and said bye to me with so much joy.
I still can’t explain how joyful it was to see this man happy because it was supernatural; yet it required a natural first step to say “Hi”. That day, I learned that:
- My task was only to open my mouth, and God did the rest
- The truth can be shared in many ways; we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us
- The world is bleeding we just can’t see it with our physical eyes, but there is a need for hope
“ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35
