This
Valentine’s Day, men and women alike will try to outdo the opposite sex by
purchasing the freshest bouquet of roses, the sweetest box of chocolates, or
the most costly piece of jewelry they can afford. Others may purchase weekend getaways, new
automobiles, gourmet dinners, and the like.
Children will cut out hearts and write Valentines to their parents,
teachers, family, and friends. But even
amid all of this red and pink and everything from heart-shaped candies to ice
cubes shaped like X’s and O’s, is this really the best way to convey our love
for one another? Perhaps in all of our haste
to wrap the right gift, we may have lost the meaning of Valentine’s Day
altogether. Love is not found inside a
greeting card or even a chocolate truffle.
Love is found through our actions.
How we talk to others, how we treat them, and what we do for them every
day of the year. That’s love.
From the Creation of the world, love has been the glue that
holds everything together. It was with love
that God so carefully placed the sun, moon, and stars. Through love, he created bodies of water and
dry land. He knew we would need
nourishment, so he provided a vast array of plants and animals that would
produce food for us to eat. Then, he
knew we had an inherent need to feel loved, so he gave Adam a companion as a
helpmate. Even though the world has
experienced its fair share of tumult since the moment that pristine Garden of
Eden was planted by God’s own hands, one thing has never changed. God has never stopped loving me and you.
John
3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in him should have eternal life.” Throughout the centuries, people have blasphemed,
ridiculed, and scorned our Heavenly Father.
Yet because of his infinite mercy, he pours out his unconditional love
to every man, woman, boy, and girl on this earth. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his
own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God gave his only Son to save us all, even
though we were sinners. He looks beyond
our shortcomings, our mistakes, our wrongdoings. He looks into the heart of the individual and
knows they have an inherent need to be loved.
Through an unselfish sacrifice of love, we have been redeemed. Through love, we find salvation. This kind of love is greater than we can
fully comprehend.
Love is not just a feeling for someone. To love someone means you are willing to do something
on their behalf. John 15:3 says, “Greater love has
no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This does not mean we should be crucified on
a cross. This means we should put others
first, sacrificing our own needs to show God’s love toward others. A parent’s love is likely the closest example
to Christ’s perfect love displayed by a human.
A mother or father sleeps lightly, ready to jump up at the first cry of
their child. They don’t leap out of bed
at 4 o’clock in the morning because they despise sleep; they do it out of love
for their son or daughter. They would do
anything to ensure their child’s well-being is put before their own needs. That’s unconditional love.
Love is
something that cannot be bought or sold.
It can only be given away. The only
question is what kind of love we will show to others. Will we send a Get Well card in the mail, or
will we pick up the telephone to see how someone is really doing? Will we give someone a gift card to their
favorite restaurant, or will we go out of our way to prepare a home-cooked meal
for someone who is living alone, with no family to call their own? Will we stay home on Sunday morning or will
we go to the House of the Lord to worship and praise him for the unmerited
favor and matchless love that he has shown toward us? While every act of love is a blessing to the
recipient, the greatest thing we can do is to be a reflection of the love of
Jesus Christ to everyone we meet. I John
3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us.” Jesus Christ is the perfect example of
love. He didn’t just send a Valentine card. He gave his life so we could have our sins
washed white as snow, and in turn, receive everlasting life. That is the greatest example of love ever
shown since the beginning of time. There
truly is no greater love!
In Christ's Love,
Jennifer
