Love is a verb

Tuesday October 12, 2021

Bob Gass

1 min read

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8 NKJV

Love is not just a noun; it’s a verb. It’s not what you think or feel; it’s what you do. When Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta in 1948, one of the first things she did was pick up five abandoned children and bring them to her “school.” Before the year ended, she had forty-one students learning about hygiene in her classroom, which was in a public park. Soon her work became known as “The Missionaries of Charity.” Within two years, their attention was turned to the care of the dying, and a beggar found dying on a rubbish heap was picked up and brought to her. Hunger and suffering had reduced him to a virtual skeleton. Mother Teresa took him home and put him in bed. When she tried to wash him, she discovered that his body was covered with worms. Pieces of skin came off as she bathed him. For a brief moment the man revived. In his semiconscious state, he asked, “Why do you do it?” Mother Teresa responded with two words that were the hallmark of her life: “For love!” Busy person, it’s easy to see people as irritants and inconveniences standing in the way of your getting things done. What’s hard is to rise above your self-centred feelings and love them. Maybe you think this is no big deal! Think again: the Bible says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (vv. 7-8 NKJV).