Love, Truth and Obedience are three Christian values that together define Christian Love. Christian love, is love where truth is valued. Christian truth tells us how to obey. Christian obedience demonstrates true love.

In the previous posts from this series we have looked at each.

What happens if you corrupt any one of those values?

Corrupt any one of those core ideas and you corrupt all of them. Replace Love and you have Fear. Replace Truth and you have Falsehood. Replace Obedience and you have Selfishness.

If you get love wrong, it will show itself in falsehood and selfishness. If you get truth wrong, it will show itself in fear and selfishness. If you get obedience wrong, it will show itself in falsehood and fear.

So often, that is the picture that we see of society – fear, falsehood, selfishness.

The Christian alternative is to do the opposite.

In this series of posts, we have looked Christian love. Love others. In truth. Obediently. Essentially the Christian is called to be loving in relationships even if our love, truth or obedience is rejected, mocked or ignored. We love because God first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

So, let us get practical and put our love into action.

1. What opportunities do you have or can create, to love someone who fears what Christians believe? How will you exercise that love for their benefit under God?

2. Where are you conflicted such that you are caught between loving someone or something in a worldly way as opposed to a godly way. What do you need to change so that you can exercise true love which is pleased and acceptable to God for the benefit of the other?

3. How can you practice love in regular, even if sacrificial ways? What about your comforts or preferences stop you from fulfilling your obligation to love God and love your neighbour?

Christian love is a love for others that is both pleasing and acceptable to God before it is to the world.

For more in this Series:

Uncomfortable Love (Part 1 of 6)

Perfect Love (Part 2 of 6)

Love (Part 3 of 6)

Truth (Part 4 of 6)

Obedience (Part 5 of 6)

Loving in Relationships (this one)