How Can We Show Our Love?

Of course, many around the world say that they love God, but the way they act belies their claim. How can we know that we really do love Jehovah?  We can talk to him in prayer and tell him how we feel. And we can act in a way that demonstrates our love.  The apostle John said:  "Whoever does  observe [God's] word, truthfully in this person the love of God has been made perfect.  By this we have the knowledge that we are in union with him." (1 John 2:5; 5:3)  Among other things, God's Word tells us to associate together and live clean, moral lives. We avoid hypocrisy, speak the truth, and keep our thinking clean.  (2 Corinthians  7:1; Ephesians 4:15;  1 Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 10:23-25) We show love by giving material help to those in need.  (1 John 3:17, 18)  And we do not hold back from telling others about Jehovah. That includes sharing in the worldwide preaching of the good news of the Kingdom.  (Matthew 24:14; Romans 10:10) Obedience to God's Word in such things is evidence that our love for Jehovah is genuine.  

Love for Jehovah helps people to make good decisions. Last year, such love moved 288,907 individuals to dedicate  their lives to him and symbolize that decision by water baptism.  (Matthew 28:19, 20)  Their dedication was meaningful. It marked a change in their lives. For example, Gazmend was one of the top basketball  stars in Albania. For some years, he and his wife studied the Bible and despite obstacles eventually qualified as Kingdom publishers. Last year, Gazmend was baptized, one of 36 baptized in Albania in the 2000 service year. A newspaper published an article about him and said: "His life has a purpose, and because of this, he and his family are enjoying the happiest days of their life. For him, it is no longer important to see how much he can get out of life but, instead, how much he can give to help other people." 

Similarly, a  newly baptized sister working for an oil company in Guam received a tempting offer. After climbing the corporate ladder for years, she was finally  offered the opportunity to be the first female vice president in the company's history. However, she had now dedicated her life to Jehovah. So after discussing matters with her husband, the new sister turned down the offer  and instead arranged for part-time work so that she could progress toward being a full-time minister, a pioneer. Love for Jehovah moved her to want to serve him as a pioneer rather than to pursue the financial interests of this world. In fact, worldwide such love moved 805,205 to share in different features of the pioneer ministry during the 2000 service year.  What an expression of love and faith these pioneers made! 

Next time: Moved to Love Jesus 

From the Watchtower magazine, 2001