What an odd thing to say!
We don't normally think of love as 'working'. We mostly have a much more romantic view of what love is. Having been at a wedding on Saturday, where there was much singing and talking about love, it seems it is rare to think of love working.
But the Bible tells the story of God's love bringing change to the lives of people and communities.
St. John, writing to a group of Christians about their actions towards one another, starts with God's actions towards us.'God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.' (1 John 4.9,10)
The sacrifice of Jesus, in dying on the cross for us, is the means by which God makes eternal life available to us. In that sense, the love of God is both the motive and the means for changing our lives. So we can see that 'love works'.
And the story continues. 'Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.' (1 John 4.11-12)
Here, we see that love shown by us is the manner by which God's character and concerns become visible.
The invisible God is made visible for people around us when we show sacrificing love for one another. In our acts of costly care for one another, and our family-style relationship with one another, God is shown and seen. And so 'love works'.
Today, we all have the opportunity to live as Jesus would live, and so show God's love to those around us. What a privilege.
Best wishes,
Richard
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