Measuring Love by Works

Love cannot always be measured in terms of works and doing nice things. I have found that Christians often want to be identified as being nice and loving people by faking friendliness and doing works so that they will be noticed. Even if a person goes on a mission trip to Africa, it does not necessarily mean that he has a heart of love. When someone has a heart of love, they are motivated to do the things that God has called them to do. Just because a Christian does not go on a mission trip to Africa, it does not mean that he does not have a heart of love. He might express that love in other areas of his life.

It all depends on what God has called people to do. A person who is called to write Christian books might have a desire to preach, but without that anointing, he will not be able to do it effectively. He might desire to teach with his mind, but if his heart is not in it, then he will find that he simply cannot do it. That does not mean that this person has failed to minister to, and help, other people, it just means that he must minister to people in the way that God has chosen for him to do so.

You can tell when you are trying to do something that you are not meant to do: you feel heaviness and dryness in your spirit which makes it difficult, or even impossible, to do that thing.

If you are not careful though, you can find yourself going on a guilt-trip because someone else is trying to persuade you to do something that you simply cannot do and are not meant to do.

We must understand that each member of the Body of Christ has a separate and individual function: a toe cannot behave like a hand, whilst an eye cannot behave like an ear. So it is in the church: some people in ministry are called to be teachers, but not pastors; some are called to be evangelists, but not prophets (Ephesians 4:11). Likewise, those Christians who are not called to full-time ministry, also have their own function: some are called to write books or blogs, whilst others are called to go on local outreaches or missions abroad.

Oftentimes, the pastor of a church will try to persuade the congregation that everyone should get involved in the next church project, perhaps an outreach to a certain area. But we must learn to be spiritually discerning and only do those things that we are motivated by the Holy Spirit to do.

If Christians ignore that peace within themselves then they are likely to experience frustration and a general lack of peace. Everything that the Holy Spirit leads us to do is wrapped in love, peace, joy and wisdom.

⁴ If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself. ⁶ In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

Proverbs 3:4, 6 TLB