Love In Action

This message has personal real-life illustrations, feel free to use them as your own or modify them to suit your need.

Illustration: The Burning Building Rescue

One Time we got a call to a Structure fire, upon our arrival flames were coming out of the carport and side of the house probably about 50% of the structure was on fire and the rest had heavy smoke. Our crew was Search & Rescue, me and the two younger guys on my crew entered the front door of the house and the flames and heat were intense, and visibility was almost zero… We begin our search and as we enter the kitchen area the ceiling begins to fall in on that part of the structure we quickly exit that area and clear the living room every instinct says get out, this structure is unstable… Love in action urges us to push through… without hesitation we continue the search, we clear the living room and head down the hallway toward the bedrooms we hear a muffled voice enter a bedroom and find a man lying there, under the edge of a mattress…. We radio the Incident Commander to send someone to the window that we were about to break out and pass him out to safety and he was taken to the medics on standby… I didn’t think about it this way when it happened but what we accomplished was Love in action… We pushed through despite the danger because of love for our fellow man…

Why? Because love isn’t just words. Love moves. Love acts.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul isn’t just giving us a nice poem to have at weddings—he’s giving us a battle plan for how we live out the love of Christ in real life. Love is more than a feeling; love is a choice, love is a commitment, and love is a call to action.

What does Love in Action Looks Like

“Love is patient, love is kind…” (1 Corinthians 13:4a) Love in Action is Steady

Illustration: Training a Rookie Firefighter

Rookie firefighters on their first shift make mistakes. They forget procedures, they mess up. But a good mentor is patient … correcting them, guiding them, and teaching them. They don’t give up on the rookie just because they’re not perfect.

That’s how God loves us, He doesn’t give up on us because we aren’t perfect, He helps us get better. That’s how we should love others...

Look at Jesus and Peter,

Peter messed up … a lot. He was impulsive, he spoke out of turn, and he even denied Jesus three times. But what did Jesus do? He restored him and called him to feed His sheep (John 21:15-17).

Have you got someone in your life that tests your patience?

Is there someone that you need to show kindness to, even when they don’t deserve it?

Love in action isn’t about waiting for people to change … it’s about loving them while they’re changing.

Love isn’t Self-Seeking … Love in Action is Selfless

“It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking…” (1 Corinthians 13:4b-5a)

Illustration: A Parent's Sacrifice

Think about a father or mother who works two jobs so their kids can have a better future. They don’t complain, they don’t boast—they just love through action.

When Jesus was Washing the Feet of the Disciples, He knelt down and washed His disciples’ feet ... All of His Disciples… The Good, The Bad & The Ugly… That was a servant’s job, not the job of the teacher. But you know what? Jesus wasn’t worried about status … He was too busy showing us that real love is about serving others.

Are we serving others or expecting to be served?

Are we giving without expecting to receive anything in return?

Love in action goes well beyond convenience, love in action chooses sacrifice.

Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs … Love in Action is Forgiving

“It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:5b)

Illustration: Firefighters and Forgiveness

Firefighters spending 24 hours at a time with each other inevitably would have disagreements… But if a fire breaks out, would they ever refuse to pull their partner from danger because of an old argument? Never! They just forget the past and the grudges and have each other's back… because the mission is always more important than the grudge.

Look at Jesus on the Cross

As Jesus was being crucified, He didn’t hold onto bitterness, He didn’t hold a grudge. Instead, He put love in action and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Love in action doesn’t keep a scorecard of offenses … it lets go and moves forward.