This week we heard that love for one another is not sentimental or optional, but it is a defining mark of being born again. The apostle John draws a sharp line: hatred is Cain-like; love is Christ-like. And Christ-like love lays down its life. But how do we know if we’re really walking in that love? John gives us a diagnostic: Do you give of your time, resources, and presence when your brother or sister is in need? Do you rejoice with them, weep with them, honor them more than yourself? Or do you simply retreat into polite indifference? God’s Word presses us not to love “in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Real love costs. But it also assures us that we belong to the truth, and God knows us even when our hearts waver. In honor of Pastor, author and theologian John MacArthur, who went to be with the Lord this week, our related resource for the week is his sermon on 1 John 3:19-24 titled Holy Affections. Find it at the Grace To You website linked below. Pastor MacArthur has had a profound impact on the Christian church. His boldness for Christ Jesus and consistent, sound preaching of the Word will be sorely missed.