January 13, 2011 (loving actions)

loving actions

“Love is very much a matter
of actions rather than emotions.
However, although this emphasis
on acts of love is certainly necessary,
we can sometimes give the impression
that love doesn’t involve any emotion –
that it is entirely an act of the will,
of one’s duty, regardless of how one feels.
We can even promote the
‘I can love him but I can’t like him’ type of attitude.
The Bible does not support
such an unbalanced concept of love…
fervently, fondly, and affectionately
(are used in the Bible)
to describe the love Christians
ought to have for one another…
Obviously such a fervency of spirit
cannot substitute for loving actions,
but surely it should accompany them.
We dare not settle for less.”
- Jerry Bridges