He called out, “I love you,” every time he or one of his family members left the house. Little did he know love would be his last word.
His wife, Alisha, used to bug him saying, “I’m just getting milk, not going off to war.”
Mushy?
No way.
Last Word
“I love you” were the last words this young wife heard as he hurried off to play goalie like he always did on hockey nights.
He never imagined that “I love you” would have to last her forever.
The phone rang after midnight.
“Massive heart attack…no chance…he’s gone.”
“I love you,” is what she clings to, or what clings to her.
Those words fit her better now than his favourite jersey.
Love is verb and while there is more to love than words, they’re a great place to start.
Love In Action
1. Love Says
“I LOVE YOU.”
Those words make you vulnerable to:
misunderstanding,
unrealistic expectations,
rejection.
Speak them anyways.
They need to be spoken as much as they need to be heard.
Crusty old Vince Lombardi was never shy telling his Green Bay Packer football players, “I love you.”
That’s what Jesus told his team – “I love you.”
Jesus also encouraged them – “Love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples.”
The words you speak are the greatest predictors of the future you’ll live.
2. Love Sees
We are not here to see through one another; we are here to see one another through.
1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Wherever there are relationships there is also friction and tension.
Offences happen, even with healthy relationships.
There are many ways to react when you are offended:
Sulking and feeling sorry for yourself.
Going big and blowing up.
Giving in to the slow, brooding kind of anger.
Just walking away.
Love means seeking the good of the other person.
Love calls you to:
under-accuse,
over-repent,
over-forgive.
3. Love Does
Love takes risks.
Risktakers live dangerously.
To live dangerously is not to live recklessly but to live righteously.
A righteous life is the epitome of love.
Bob Goff has made the phrase, “Love does” famous. Its more than the title of his book, its the expression of his life.
Jesus challenged Peter – “Peter do you love me?”
“You know I love you.”
“Feed my sheep.”
From his experiences Peter wrote,
“So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character,
and generous love.
With these qualities active and growing in your lives…no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.” 2 Peter 1:6,7 (The Message)
“I love you.”
Make love your last word.
Whose “I love you” has shaped your life? Please leave a comment below.
Hope grows here. We share stories that inspire people, build faith, and offer lasting purpose.
We’d love to have you Subscribe to REVwords. We’ll put helpful content into your inbox Mondays and Fridays.
My husband was the first person to tell me that love was an action, not simply words. These were part of the words that lead me to accept Christ as my Saviour. I was amazed by this love that he spoke of. I was shocked that a guy would actually know what love truly was. But the more he spoke, the more I realized that these were not his words, but God’s words speaking to my heart. God was telling me his love is deep, wide, long, and high. I already forwarded this blog to him to read. On our fridge we have a sticky note that reads, “How you pray will determine who you become.” I think the same is true about love. How you love will determine who you become, for if you love much, you’ll be moved to pray more.
Aren’t fridge fronts great places for inspirational truths? That’s a wonderful saying about prayer and how you applied it to love. I think the Lowry’s are becoming a pretty radical family!