Happy and a joyful Valentine's day to you, all
my family and friends. I received my first Valentine's day card 40 years ago
this month. I was a student in Bangalore, India. My wife was a student at
Hartwick College, New York. She sent the card and explained about Valentine's
day. I had no clue about Valentine's day. I like the origins, the reason, and
the sentiments of this special day. Valentine's day is ever so
popular in India now.
To know Jesus Christ is to be loved and to
love. I have been listening a song by Jesus Culture called, "His Love Never
Fails". In 1 Corinthians 13 the Lord of love and life is declaring that, life
without love is zero. We can pile up all the good deeds, all the education,
all the spiritual gifts, and all the noble works that we like. Without love, it
still equals zero. We can be smart, beautiful, strong, wealthy, educated,
multi-lingual, rich, and famous but without love it still equals
zero.
When William Barclay, a great Christian scholar
and believer, came to the end of his comments on this passage, he noted that it
calls for a searching personal self-examination. These verses challenge us to
evaluate what we do and what we say in the light of agape love. If we are
honest with ourselves (which is not easy in the best of circumstances), we must
eventually admit that we all have a long way to go in this area. Many of us
struggle with difficult people and painful circumstances. In those moments when
we have been deeply hurt by those closest to us, the temptation is often
overwhelming to respond with anger and bitterness. We may want to get even with
those who have treated us so cruelly. We may even resort to threats of
violence. In our desperation it is easy to sink to the level of those who have
attacked us.
There is a better way. Jesus calls us to love
our enemies and, life being what it is, our “enemies” will almost always be
those closest to us. Love means doing things the Lord's way. It means
responding in kindness when we have been repeatedly mistreated. It means
refusing to nurse our grievances against those who are truly guilty of sin
against us. Love finds a way to reach out to heal the breach if possible. This
kind of life is not easy.
Jesus embodied this Special Kind of Love.
Love isn't about us; love is about Jesus. Since He is love, all
true love starts with him and comes down to us. If we want to be more loving, we
must get to know Him, better. As we come to know the Love of Jesus in a
personal way, his love will supernaturally flow through us as our hearts are
transformed.
John
3:16 : “For God so loved the
world that he gave his one-and-only-Son.” Jesus is the proof of God’s love.
Run to the cross. Behold the bleeding form of the Son of God. “See from his
hands, his head, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down.”
Through his sacrifice, Christ has stayed our
execution. The judgment bell will never toll for us. The proof of his love is
in his bruised body and bloody hands. Because of his love we
live.
I am blessed and challenged by the
words of the late Dr. Karl Meninger, M.D., a great
Psychiatrist, " Love is the medicine for the sickness of the
world.” He summarized his therapeutic approach this way:
“Love cures. It cures those who give it and it cures those who receive
it.” The love of Christ is
powerful medicine for the terminal disease inside every
heart.
"Lord I want to be more loving in my
heart:
In His Love,
Brown
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