Love Is In The Air!

Today is celebrated as Valentine’s Day as many cards, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between sweethearts expressing their affection for each other. I remembered the love of my life (now in our 31st year of marriage) with a card and a couple small gifts set out for her to find when she got her coffee this morning. Yes, I’m still glad I found mine (or that she found me)!

There is an old country song which referred to “looking for love in all the wrong places.” That is something many in this world continue to do. However, there are also those looking for love for all the wrong reasons! When Paul listed the characteristics of true love, among the qualities he mentioned was that love “does not insist on its own way”. ( 1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV) Other translations render the expression as “not self-seeking”
(NIV) and “does not seek its own” (NKJV), thus pointing away from love being self-centered to being OTHER-CENTERED. Certainly there are personal benefits we receive in a loving relationship, but selfishness is one of the wrong reasons to love. Self-centered love is all about getting rather than giving which detracts from meeting the needs within relationships.

WHY DO WE LOVE? Perhaps the best way to be sure our love is properly motivated is to first focus on where love, in its truest sense, began.

John, referring to God, noted…
“WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.” ( 1 John 4:19 ESV)
Love began in the mind of God and because we are loved we ought to love.
And in accordance with the fact we were loved in spite of our imperfection (i.e. Romans 5:9) we should be humble and merciful enough to love the same way.

Paul exhorted the church at Ephesus…
“(1) Therefore be IMITATORS OF GOD, as beloved children. (2) And WALK IN LOVE, AS CHRIST LOVED US and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” ( Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV)

The way we are with others (within our families, the church, and our interaction with others in general) can help bring to light what true love is all about. May there be an air of godly love accompanying our every action and word. By so doing we will reveal to God our acknowledgement of His love for us and our great appreciation for it.

Have a great day WALKING IN LOVE!
Carl

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