The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth and will set our heart at ease before him.”

—1 John 3:17–19 

If the world’s cry against us is that we speak words of love but never act on it, they are right to reprimand. If we say we love but no one around us can point to anything loving in us, we are lying to ourselves and to others (1 John 4:20).

“By this,” it says, we will know if our own hearts are of the truth.

If we never actively love those around us by laying down our own lives (1 John 3:16), let’s come before the Lord in prayer and confession and ask him to change our hearts as we begin to work with intention to change our deeds.

Laying down our lives means giving something up that is our own (John 15:12–13)—if it’s worldly goods we can bless others with, we will give there. But we could fill in that blank with other things as well. “But whoever has . . . ” time, a listening ear, a day to watch someone’s children, the skills to repair a car, kind words instead of harsh ones, or anything else “ . . . and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart, how does the love of God remain in him?”

Are our hearts at ease before the Lord, knowing that we are loving not only in word, but in deed and in truth?

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