V-Day for many is a time when romance is rekindled and acts of love are encouraged. It is day when the world celebrates love. What better day then to celebrate the love of God!, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:7-21).
We as Christians are encouraged to love. For our God is love (1 John 4:8-21), and His commands are love, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-41 NIV). Love always is full of truth, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15 NIV); because love rejoices in truth, “Love does not delight at unrighteousness [injustice], but rejoices in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6 BLT) and the reason is God is love “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love,” (1 John 4:8, Colossians 2:5-9), and truth, “”. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NLT). You cannot lie to love, you cannot lie to God. Love can see through eloquent words and guises, it unmasks all disguises. Love sees spherically, where intellect sees only pyramidically. And yet if we aren’t careful, love can grow cold, “Because lawlessness will multiply [increase], the love of many will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved [see Revelation 2:4-5 NLT] ” (Matthew 24:12), and He who is love may rebuff us, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” (Revelation 2:4-5 NLT).
This Valentine’s Day, in addition to chocolates and flowers, lets sow compassion and fealty. Lets show our brothers and sisters (ecclesia), neighbors, and even enemies love in love starved world! Lets share God who is love, and remember He loved us when we weren’t very lovable, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:8-11 NKJV). Amen.
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