READ: JOHN 13:31-38; 15:1-17; 1 JOHN 3:16-18; 4:19

Have you ever heard the expression, “They talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk”? It’s a way of saying that people’s actions don’t match their words. For example, if somebody talks all about how important recycling is but constantly throws their plastic water bottles into the trash, they are acting like a hypocrite: they talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. They might say recycling is important, but when it comes to actually taking action, they don’t follow through.

Sadly, we are all guilty of hypocrisy in one way or another. We might not even realize our actions aren’t matching our words until someone points it out, and this can be disheartening. After all, the Bible shows us that Christians are supposed to “walk the walk” AND “talk the talk.” For example, the apostle John says, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). As Christians, we are called to be people who love in word AND deed. Because Jesus loves us so much, we are called to love others.

Many of us know it’s important to love others, but how well do we show it? If we say we love our friends or family but act selfishly and treat them unkindly, our claim to love them isn’t really good for much. It’s a good thing to tell people we love them, but we need to act like it too.

Jesus did not merely say that He loved us—He went and actually did something about it, saving us from sin by dying for us on the cross. He took our sin, our shame, and died the death we deserved. That is true love. And then, Jesus rose from the grave, declaring that everyone who trusts in Him can be forgiven and become God’s child.

God’s love is so great that nothing can separate His children from Him—even sins like hypocrisy. The fact is, He knows that we are unable to truly love Him or other people on our own. Thankfully, He has poured out HIS love “into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). So, as Christians, we can love others in word and deed by relying on God’s love. We can treat our friends, our family, and even our enemies the way Jesus would: by caring for them, helping them, and providing for their needs. As Jesus’s followers, we are empowered to talk the talk and walk the walk. • Jacob Bier

• Consider taking some time to ask God to help you see ways that you might “talk the talk but not walk the walk.” We can confess our sin and ask God to help us follow Him wholeheartedly.

• What are some practical ways you could show love to people in your life today? What resources has God given you that you could use to show love to others?

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NIV)