Back in 1959 while Paul McCartney was skipping school he was scribbling some song words on a notebook and dreaming of being a star one day. John Lennon added some lines to it and they scribbled “Another Lennon-McCartney Original” at the top of the page. What was born form that scribble was the first hit single from the Beatles. “Love Me Do” backed by “P.S. I Love You” was released on October 5, 1962. When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom, it peaked at number seventeen; in 1982 it was re-issued and reached number four. In the United States the single was a number one hit in 1964.
Love, love me do, You know I love you, I’ll always be true; So please, love me do; Whoa, love me do.
Love, love me do, You know I love you, I’ll always be true; So please, love me do; Oh, love me do.
Someone to love, Somebody new, Someone to love, Someone like you.
Love, love me do, You know I love you, I’ll always be true; So please, love me do; Oh, love me do.
Love, love me do, You know I love you, I’ll always be true; So please, love me do; Whoa, love me do. Yeah, love me do; Whoa, love me do.
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well in reality we see mostly love, love me don’t. You know it’s likely when these teens wrote this song they were thinking of romantic love with the young ladies. To an extent what I am talking about today can go there but I am thinking now of agape love, the brotherly love like in Philly.
Actually I am writing this because of a strong prompting to do so. I know not why but I have learned recently to listen to those divine prompts. Most certainly I am no expert on the subject and almost any day you could grab me by the collar and say, “now was that the love of God I saw you show just then?” And I would shrink in shame.
Think about this, would you? Do you think there is more love shown to humanity and between our neighbors today than in days gone by or do you think it is less? I’ll give some time for you think about that. I promise that I’ll come back to it.
The prompting I have been getting is telling me that speech has little value. What I mean to say is that when it comes to love talk doesn’t mean anything. Love needs action. Love comes from emotions or should be an emotion. The word emotion is derived from motive or motion, e-motion. So love should motivate. It should motivate us to do kind things and helpful things for those we love.
We should be motivated to take action. But where is the action? I have been noticing that all around there is a lack of action. I know I am addressing fellow brothers and sisters that love the Lord and of course anyone else that should happen along to my humble little blog. So it’s possible I have a mix of audience of us and them. Or call it them and us. You know, we Christians that are “born again’ and filled with “God’s love” and those that have not made a commitment to the Lord and are still in the world. (As we call it.) A friend made me accountable not too long ago. A group of people had taken a view different than we (Christian’s) would take on a subject and I said, ‘”Well those yahoo’s should get a life”. Or something very much like that and he immediately thumped me. I know that brother loved me because he abruptly and lovingly put me in the place I needed to be. He said, “Frank, don’t refer to others that way, because we are to be different.” Now, those folks never heard my comment. My brother in-Christ knew my brain needed a jog though. He knew I needed a “check-up from the neck-up” as the late Zig Ziglar used to say. He was so right though. We are supposed be different. The world is always watching. As family in God’s Kingdom we are supposed to different. In the world but not of the world. Sometimes it seems to me that we are worse at what I am taking about than the world is.
So talk is cheap. I am certain you are pretty tired of hearing that “actions speak louder than words” right? Well, it doesn’t matter how overheard the cliché is, it won’t get any less true. And oh, how true it is. Love requires action and here is the most telling point. Love requires time. An investment in time is required and it is getting very hard to find fellow human beings that are willing to invest any of their time to express love for their neighbors. It is commanded of us. Let me repeat that, “It is commanded of us!” Now even though it is commanded of us we hoard that time and use it for ourselves instead of using it for what God intends. As I see people parceling out their time I see precious little of it parceled out for the love category. Yup, there is no time for love these days. Too busy! You know sometimes it even strikes me that the world is investing a little more time in showing love than we Christians are. I know it is a sad statement but I can’t help it. Several Saints around me seem to be short on time and effort in this category. Lest I be called the fire that’s calling the kettle black I remind you that I need this as much anyone. Many seem a bit lax on this one trait that is truly the number one request of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Do everything in love.” Short and to the point. It doesn’t get any plainer than that. Ok, the context of that short verse came just after we are told to stand firm in our faith and be resolute. We are to be firm but we are not to be the devils tool in the process. Someone said that the wrath of man will never, ever work the righteousness of God. And how can it? I mentioned this was a commandment. Check the 10 commandments out but first I’ll provide these verses. “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”, (Matthew 22:36-40).
So love your neighbor as yourself. And who is your neighbor? I will remind you that according to scripture, your neighbor is anyone you can help. And guess what? They are wanting it and waiting for it. So when you respond to someone or you address someone or more importantly, if you are in the presence of someone then acknowledge they are there and show love and kindness. Such a short time it takes for a hello or hand shake or a hug or warm look in the eyes. But few invest it. That time and effort, I mean; and many feel unloved. Mother Teresa said, “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
Come back and I will finish this thought… Click Here to go to Part Two
Have a Godly day,
“The Tubthumper”
