THE WORLD IS DESPERATE FOR LOVE. In a world filled with hurting, hungry, and hopeless people, love is our most powerful healing force. The weary and the wounded are everywhere—walking past us in grocery stores, sitting beside us in waiting rooms, and living next door. They are usually scrolling their phones while watching you from the corner of their eye. They are longing for connection. The ache to be loved is real; as Christ's followers, we are called to answer it.
But sometimes, in our efforts to follow Jesus, we lose sight of what He truly desires from us, what he asks of us. We search for validation in visible markers of faith, mistaking them for true spiritual depth. We equate love for God with the things we do, the things we own, and the image we project—rather than by the way we love others.
How many times have we measured our faith by:
Church attendance records
Bible knowledge
The number of Scriptures we have memorized
Our financial contributions
The amount of time we’ve spent in prayer
Strict adherence to the assumed “religious rules”
Instagram-worthy Christian social media posts
Crosses dangling from necklaces
T-shirts emblazoned with Bible verses
Curated Christian music playlists
The number of Christian books lining our shelves
A resume full of ministry activities
These aren't inherently wrong. Your love for God may create a desire to do all of the above and more! BUT, they are not—and never will be—the true measure of our love for God. What is? Bob Goff phrased it this way in his book Love Does: " Jesus told the people he was with that it's not enough to just look like you love God. He said we'd know the extent of our love for God by how well we loved people."
Jesus cut through the noise of religious rules and rituals with a revolutionary statement: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). Jesus was teaching his followers that love speaks louder. Love speaks louder than knowledge. Love speaks louder than following religious rituals, and love certainly speaks louder than religious checklists. It speaks by reaching out and touching the heart of someone else. Love is not meant to be a passive emotion. It is seen through actions that demonstrate your faith.
I love reading about the first-century Christians. They changed the world they lived in by their acts of selfless love. Love is truly life-changing. In the case of the first Christians, it was society-changing.
When our love becomes active, it transcends religious checklists. It becomes a living, breathing testimony to the transformative power of faith. It doesn't just talk about God's love—it lives it through everyday choices and actions.
This transformational love doesn't seek recognition. It doesn't perform for an audience. It just shows up. It listens. It serves. It sacrifices. It sees the person behind the label and the heart behind the struggle.
Let's reframe our understanding of what our faith should look like. Instead of counting church services attended, let’s count the moments we’ve genuinely listened to someone's pain. Instead of tallying Bible verses memorized, let’s measure the times we’ve offered unexpected kindness. How about we replace tracking ministry activities with creating space for genuine human connection? Our love for God will naturally inspire spiritual practices. But those practices are not the destination—they are signposts pointing towards a deeper, more authentic relationship with God and with one another.
Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:1 that even if we have all the right words, knowledge, and spiritual gifts, but lack love, we are nothing more than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal—just noise without meaning. Love speaks louder than noise. It is the defining mark of a true follower of Christ.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal”
(1 Corinthians 13:1)
True faith involves active love, love that is put into practice–love in motion. It is intentional. It is transformative. The first-century Christians transformed the society they lived in by transforming the lives of those around them. I believe we can do it again.