No Greater Love

        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

Pray Now!

When was the last time you told someone that you would keep them in your prayers? If you’re like me, you may do this very often. But when was the last time you actually stopped for a moment, amid your busy schedule, and prayed for them right then and there? Recently I spoke to someone on the telephone who asked to pray for me and I also prayed for them. We both stopped, took the time to pray that God would bless each other’s families and ministries. It only took a moment of our time, but what a blessing it was to join together in prayer to our Heavenly Father. The Bible says where two or three gather together in His name, there He will be in the midst. I know for certain that He was in our midst as we prayed that day. We didn’t just make a promise to pray later. We determined in our hearts to pray now.

Have you heard of Epaphras? While he is only mentioned three times in the Bible, he is truly what we would deem a prayer warrior. For his ministry was one of truly gigantic proportions because he knew the secret to touching God with his prayers. We don’t know much about him, other than the fact that we know he traveled with Paul as a fellow servant of Christ. Paul wrote concerning Epaphras, “He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” (Colossians 4:12 NIV). Epaphras didn’t just tell someone he would pray for them. And he didn’t just pray once in a while. He prayed always. He was “always wrestling in prayer” (Colossians 4:12 NIV). Paul compares Epaphras’ prayer time to that of a wrestling match. Epaphras struggled and fought, making sure that every word uttered to Heaven counted. He knew the power of prayer and he knew that it required concentration, stamina, and strength, just as a wrestler would need inside the ring.

Sadly, it’s hard to find any Epaphras’ in the world today. For there are not many people who will set aside time every day for uninterrupted prayer time. While I certainly pray every day, I am also guilty of not setting aside enough time to pray each and every day. There are work and school schedules, church functions, meal times, and so many other things that must be attended to in our daily lives. But even in the midst of the hectic rat race we find ourselves in, one thing is clear: there is always time to pray. Through prayer, we can see our lives change for the better. Through prayer, our grief turns to joy, our tears turn to smiles, and our wayward loved ones can find their way home. You may have seen it on a bumper sticker, a bookmark, or a t-shirt, but I know firsthand that this motto rings true: Prayer truly does change things.

My parents prayed for me when I was born. The doctors gave up on me. My parents did not utter some complicated prayer out of a prayer book. They prayed, “Jesus help.” Jesus used these two words to change my life. He answered their prayer when they heard what sounded like a small kitten coughing. While it was a long road in the neonatal center, baby Jennifer finally got to come home. The doctors may have given up on me, but my mom and dad joined together in prayer. Two people were praying on my behalf, with Jesus Christ in their midst. And He heard their cries. I thank Him every day for giving me the opportunity to live. I know that I have a purpose on this earth and I take every chance I get to tell others about the saving grace and love and mercy of Jesus Christ. He is the reason I am alive today. And I am living proof that He answers prayers!

But even though we know that He answers prayer, it seems it’s hard to find time to follow the advice given in the book of Hebrews that tells us to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). We may spend hours at ball games, watch numerous television shows, and ride in our cars for long periods of time, yet the majority of us cannot give even 15 minutes, half an hour, or an hour to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Even Jesus had a difficult time convincing His disciples to pray for an hour with Him shortly before He was to be crucified. The Bible says, Jesus “returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?’” (Matthew 26:40 NIV). He went away to pray two more times and each time, came back to find that their eyes were heavy and that they had fallen asleep. Jesus tells His disciples, “‘“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’” (Matthew 26:41 NIV).

When I read this passage, I am reminded of the exercise bike that I purchased a while back. I thought it would motivate me to exercise, having it sit in my living room. I always plan to ride it in the evening while watching television. I have “good” intentions. While I plan to ride it, I always find an excuse: I’m too tired; I’ll ride it tomorrow, and many others. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. In the meantime, I am gaining no benefit from the exercise bike other than the effort it takes to dust it off, since it rarely gets used. In a similar way, Jesus is telling us that we may have good intentions to pray, but “life” gets in the way. Our earthly bodies become tired, too stressed, or complacent. Yet a life without prayer is one that can lead to temptation, as Jesus warns us. Prayer is the key that keeps us closer to Jesus and further away from evil.

No matter where you are in your life right now, Jesus loves you. He wants you to talk to Him, just like you talk to your family and friends. There is no need for an eloquent prayer. Just share your heart with Him today. Don’t be afraid to ask Him for help. Whether you are driving down the road, standing in the shower, running on the treadmill, cooking dinner for your family, going to work, or an infinite number of other things you may be doing, you can always pray. Maybe you’re sitting there, thinking, “I’m not good enough to pray. Jennifer just doesn’t understand. I’m a sinner and I know that Jesus would never want to hear from me.” Let me assure you, friends, Jesus Christ loves you and me unconditionally. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. Jesus Christ died on a cross so that we could have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life through Him. We are all sinners, but through the grace of God, our sins have been washed away. Don’t wait to pray to Jesus tomorrow or the next day, for it may be too late. Stop what you’re doing, call on Jesus Christ and pray now!

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer