Thinking About Love?
Valentine’s day happens to fall on a Sunday this year. For children, valentine’s day means exchanging with others trite sentiments accompanied by minimal sweets as an expression of fondness. Families often express their love with cards and candy. Aspiring couples trade gifts of flowers and chocolates; some engage in dinner and conversation. It is a day when the world thinks about love in its many forms.
God has a standard of love that is quite different from humanity. “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). Paul wrote, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Because God has loved us without holding anything back, He expects us to love Him in the same way. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). It is easy to take passages about love in the Bible and apply them to things that we are already doing to our friends and family. However, we must always ask ourselves what we are doing to love God first! This is the real challenge of love.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley