So be very careful to love the Lord your God.
Joshua 23:11

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READ: Joshua 23:1-11

Love without action really isn’t love at all. Many a bestselling novel and blockbuster movie reveals characters who profess love, but don’t back up their words with action: in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, our hero Indy discovers that his love interest, Elsa, works against Indy as a Nazi spy; in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, younger brother, Edmund, mocks his little sister, even though she’s telling the truth about Narnia; and in The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès is thrown in prison wrongfully by his own best friends. In each case, words of love meant nothing when they weren’t followed by actions that demonstrated love. Actions always speak louder than words.

Joshua understood the importance of showing his love for God with actions. When he was very old and nearing the end of his life, he gathered all of Israel’s leaders together to give them his final admonitions. After recounting everything God had done for them, he instructed them, “So be very careful to love the Lord your God” (23:11). The Hebrew word he used for love was a political term, calling for true-hearted loyalty to one’s king.20 He used this same word for love earlier, when blessing the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (22:5). In his final address to the nation of Israel, Joshua challenged them to demonstrate their love of God with loyal actions.

Jesus showed this kind of love to His heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He knew His death was imminent. In His humanity, He prayed to God to prevent the torture that lay ahead: “‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me’”—but added the caveat, “‘Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus then demonstrated His love for God (and for us) with action by giving up

A STORY OF THEN & NOW

Love in Action | Mike K. | Willow Huntley

Retiring at 72 felt like a new beginning—an unexpected opportunity to live out my faith in tangible, meaningful ways. I was drawn to volunteer with Willow’s Compassion & Justice ministries, where I discovered the deep fulfillment of serving others as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Community Resource Days at Willow Crystal Lake have opened my eyes to the struggles many of our neighbors face—homelessness, joblessness, and systemic barriers that often go unseen. Simply listening to someone’s story, connecting them to resources, or offering a moment of dignity has been profoundly impactful for me. I also serve in the Prison & Jail Ministry, mentoring men who feel forgotten. Many carry stories shaped by poverty, trauma, and racial injustice. Sharing God’s love with them and reminding them that their past doesn’t define their future is a privilege I don’t take lightly.

These experiences have deepened my passion for racial justice. I’ve come to see how inequities are woven into many of the challenges people of color face—disproportionate incarceration, unequal access to resources, and generational cycles of injustice. As a follower of Christ, I believe part of my calling is to stand with those who’ve been marginalized, to speak against injustice, and to embody the love, compassion, and equity that Jesus modeled.

I’ve learned that showing God’s love isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about presence, humility, and honoring the image of God in every person. It’s not always easy, but being a small part of bringing love, healing, and justice is one of my greatest blessings in this season of my life.

DID YOU KNOW?

In the New Testament, four different Greek words are translated into English as “love”—but each has a slightly different meaning: agape (pronounced a-GAH-pay) is unconditional, self-sacrificing love; storge (pronounced STORE-gay) is familial love; philia is brotherly or friendly love; and eros is romantic or passionate love. The type of love most commonly described in the New Testament is agape love—a love marked by self-sacrifice and action.

A PRAYER

God, in what ways have I not demonstrated my love for You with action? Help me show agape love to those around me, modeling the unconditional, sacrificial love of Christ. Amen.

FOR REFLECTION

Share a meaningful way someone has demonstrated their love for you, not with words only, but with action.

When you fail to demonstrate agape love to someone you care for, is it easy or hard for you to accept their forgiveness? Why?