Love Like You Mean It
Matthew 22:39 — “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
John 13:34 — “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you…”
1 John 4:19 — “We love because he first loved us.”
Romans 13:10 — “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Leviticus 19:18 — “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.”
Deuteronomy 10:19 — “And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”
Love is not a suggestion—it’s a calling. Jesus made it clear: real discipleship shows up in how we treat people. Love lifts, heals, forgives, and reflects the heart of God. When you choose love, you choose obedience, strength, and spiritual maturity.
lyrics from Zeb of Virginia Beach Church:
from his song “Beautiful Prayer Of Selfless Love”
oh beautiful prayer rise above
teach my heart a selfless love
let me give let me share
oh beautiful prayer
from his song “No Matter What”
No matter what
may come my way
i’ll hold on to Jesus
every day
every minute
every hour
I will cling to
Jesus and his love and power
from his song “Lonely In Heaven”
It’s gonna be lonely in heaven
if we don’t learn how to love one another
We have to show what we are made of and I pray it’s
the love of the Lord
We have to welcome all comers and treat them as equals
and everyone can get on board.
Lord, teach me to love with Your heart. Let my actions reveal Your compassion.
Painterly graphic: two hands reaching toward each other in warm light, soft reds and golds, gentle highlights, mood warm and Christlike.
“Love Like You Mean It”
(1.5-Minute Video Story – No Director’s Cues | Painterly Visual Motif Only)
Rainy afternoon in a busy city.
ANA, mid-30s, walks quickly—headphones on, coat pulled tight—past a man sitting on the sidewalk with a sign: “Anything helps. God bless.” She doesn’t look. Doesn’t slow.
Voice, honest and a little ashamed:
“I used to think ‘love your neighbor’ meant being nice… when it was convenient. But real love? It costs something.”
That night, she hears Zeb’s song:
“It’s gonna be lonely in heaven if we don’t learn how to love one another…”
It sticks. Haunts her.
Next morning, she sees the same man—David—shivering under a thin blanket. This time, she stops.
Not with pity. With presence.
She kneels. “Hey. I’m Ana. What’s your name?”
He looks up, surprised. “David.”
She doesn’t hand him cash and walk off. She asks: “What do you need most right now?”
“A dry pair of socks,” he says. “And someone to talk to.”
She nods. “Okay. Wait here.”
She returns with warm socks, a coffee, and—this time—sits beside him. Not to fix. Just to see.
Voice, softer now:
“I thought I was loving him. But really… God was loving me—through him. Showing me that love isn’t a feeling. It’s showing up.”
Days later: Ana brings extra groceries. Listens to David’s story—how he was once a mechanic, lost everything after his wife died.
She connects him with a local church shelter. Doesn’t save him. Just walks alongside.
Final scene: Ana and David share a laugh under an awning as rain falls. No grand rescue. Just dignity. Just friendship.
Voice, full of quiet conviction:
“We love… because He first loved us. And that changes everything.”
Fade to warm, golden light over a street glistening with rain—two mugs steaming on a bench.
Text on screen:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39