Be Ye Warmed and Filled

1 John 3:18 KJV
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

My wife and I were reading the Scriptures together yesterday evening, and came upon this verse. I could not help but immediately begin to apply it to my own life!

How many times, as Christians, do we hear of a Brother or Sister in Christ, or any other person for that matter, who has some need- be it great or small, and we simply pray for them. Please don't get me wrong! I am not saying we should not pray for these, but are we doing anything more?

I believe the Bible clearly teaches us that God would have us be His instruments of blessing- "vessels unto honour". I ask you, as I ask myself, what have you done this year, this month, this week, even today, to show the love of Christ in deed and in truth. The words "I love you" are so easily uttered, but to act upon them is so much more difficult! God told us He loved us, but then he demonstrated this by sending His only begotten Son to die for our sins.

A young shepherd boy named David loved his nation and his God, and he went to battle for them, when every one else- including the King- was too afraid. Nehemiah loved Jerusalem, and he rebuilt the city walls. The Apostle Peter loved God, and broke the tradition of men, thereby ensuring the Salvation of Cornelius and his household.


James 2:16 KJV
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

I wonder, what has each one of us done that is putting love into practice? Have we allowed God to use us to provide for a need? Is it enough that we simply pray for the needs we hear of, or is God waiting for us to act? How many times has a need gone seemingly unanswered, when God has had the answer there all along- in my power to fulfill? In your power to fulfill? Has my selfishness been to blame for someone loosing faith in God because their prayer went unanswered, just because I would not show love in deed and in truth?

We laugh about be ye warmed and filled, but how often is it really the case?