No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. Ephesians 5:29
Because we are concerned for ourselves and our well being, you and I take measures to care for ourselves and to make sure that we are healthy. It's true, isn't it? We go to the doctor. We eat salad. We exercise. We read to keep our minds sharp. We do all of these things because we care for ourselves. Our concern for our wellbeing is seen in the actions we take to care for ourselves. Just like our actions prove our care for ourselves, our actions toward others also demonstrate our care, or lack thereof, for them. In other words, we prove our love for others by our actions and care for them. This truth is made clear in Ephesians 5:29.
In Ephesians 5, the apostle Paul instructs husbands to love their wives "as they love their own bodies" (verse 28). He continues in this verse, saying that "a man who loves his wife actually loves himself" (verse 28). After all, he says, "no one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the Church" (verse 29). In saying this, Paul is reminding us that just like we care for our own bodies, we should care for the people we love, especially our spouses. That means we fight for the wellbeing of our spouses and loved ones. We make decisions that will positively impact them. We care for them when they are hurting, emotionally, and physically. Just like it is only natural to care for ourselves, it is only natural to care for our spouses and loved ones.
This love we are talking about in Ephesians 5 this week is also demonstrated in 1 John 3. In this chapter, John calls readers to love not just with words, but with actions. We love people with our actions by caring for them. Think for a moment about your relationships. Are you demonstrating care and concern for others in the same way that you care for yourself? My friends, this involves sacrifice. It can sometimes mean laying down your own hopes and desires for the betterment of your spouse or loved one. But that's exactly what Christ did for us when He came to earth and died on the cross. He laid down His rights and faced pain and torment all for our sake. He did it for us. The question is, will we show that same love for others?
How are you loving your people, those closest to you? Does the care you are treating them with demonstrate your love for them? Take some time right now to think of ways you can show your spouse and your loved ones how much you love them by the way you care for them.
This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.
Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.
And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.
