Voice of Ukraine

From: Douglas Landro

Because God Is Love: Standing With Ukraine

Why followers of Jesus cannot let their love grow cold

Jesus warned in Matthew 24:12:

“Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”

We are seeing this warning play out before our eyes. For four years, Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine has brought unspeakable suffering: civilians slaughtered, children abducted, entire cities reduced to rubble. Such relentless evil tempts us to grow numb. Compassion weakens. The temptation is real for love to grow cold.

But followers of Jesus are called to live differently. 1 John 4:8 reminds us:

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Because God is love, His Spirit within us empowers us to shine that love in the darkest of times. When others turn away, God’s people are called to reflect His heart.

Paul makes this even sharper in 1 Corinthians 13: without love, our voices are only noise, our service gains us nothing, and we ourselves are nothing. Love is not an optional virtue—it is the essence of Christian life.

And what does that love look like? Paul defines it in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Let’s consider what this means for us in this moment of history:

Love is patient. In a long war, patience means refusing to forget. It means staying faithful in prayer, continuing to give, and walking alongside Ukraine for the long haul. Love doesn’t quit when the headlines fade.

Love is kind. Kindness expresses itself in mercy—feeding the hungry, welcoming the refugee, sending aid, writing letters, offering compassion when the world looks away. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, becomes a testimony of Christ’s presence.

Love is humble. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Humility means we don’t complain that “our country has given more than another,” or that “we’ve already done enough.” True love doesn’t compare, keep score, or look for recognition. It simply serves, because that is God’s heart.

Love does not seek its own. It is natural to love our country and desire its strength. But as followers of Jesus, our first allegiance is to Him. Patriotism has its place, but it must never blind us to the suffering of others. If making our nation “great again” means ignoring the cries of the oppressed, then we have chosen nationalism over discipleship. A million years from now, it will not matter whether our nation was great. What will matter is how many Ukrainians are in heaven because we sacrificed a little of our comfort to show them the love of Jesus.

Love honors. Love respects the dignity of every person, even the broken and displaced. That means we do not force our solutions on Ukraine, but allow Ukraine to set its own conditions for peace. To honor also means to keep our word: when we pledged to defend Ukraine’s borders, we should not now step back from that commitment. Love treats promises as sacred, because God Himself is faithful.

Love forgives. It names evil truthfully, but it refuses to let bitterness rule the heart. Love seeks justice without surrendering to vengeance.

Love rejoices in truth. That’s why we must continue telling the truth about Ukraine, resisting propaganda, and rejoicing whenever truth and justice break through. Love delights in what is real, not in the lies of the enemy.

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love shields the vulnerable, clings to hope even in the longest night, and endures when others give up.

This is the love that never grows cold, because it flows from the very heart of God.

And so the question before us is this: Will our love reflect God’s love—or will it wither in the face of lawlessness?

If we truly know Him, then our love must be patient, kind, humble, selfless, honoring, truthful, protective, hopeful, and enduring. This is the love Ukraine needs from us today. This is the love that points the world to Jesus.

Lawlessness may increase. Evil may roar. But love—because God is love—will have the last word.