Who loves ya, Baby?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

Valentine's Day is fast approaching--matter of fact, it's only a few short days away. Most of us will give our Valentine a token of our love--such as a card, candy, flowers, etc. We want to shower those we care about with love and in today's world, love is generally shown with material items. It gives us great pleasure to see our sweetheart gush when they receive a gift from us.

2000 years ago, GOD proved His love for mankind by giving the best He had to give--His Son, Jesus. Jesus came into this world as a humble babe, lived a sinless life and willingly gave Himself in death to provide the atonement for our sins. His sacrifice gave us salvation. Now, that is love!

What does He ask of us in return? We are to love the Lord our GOD with all our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbor as ourself (Mark 12:30-31) and to obey His Commandments (John 14:15). We are also told to love, bless and pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Those we come in contact with will notice there is something different about us--they will know we are Christians by our love.

Take a look at 1 Corinthians 13, aka "The Love Chapter." It goes into great detail about what love is and is not and how love endures. We often hear it recited at weddings but do we really grasp the meaning? After the ceremony, do couples take it to heart? I am reminded of a poem I once read entitled "Marriage Takes Three." It talks of our relationship with GOD & how it impacts our relationship with our mate. The same applies to how we relate to others in general. If we are walking in the love of GOD, peace and contentment will naturally follow.

That is not to say we won't encounter difficulties. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Satan delights in causing us grief and often uses those closest to us to accomplish his task. If he can disrupt a marriage, or a family, or a church body--it brings him great satisfaction. Let's do our best not to let him win any battles. We know we win the war in the end!

GOD gave us His very best because He loves us. Are we willing to give Him our all and our best in return? Dottie Rambo wrote a song entitled "If That Isn't Love" that goes like this...

He left the splendor of heaven,
Knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha,
There to lay down His life for me.

If that isn't love
The ocean is dry,
There’re no stars in the sky,
And the sparrow can't fly;
If that isn't love
Then heaven's a myth,
There's no feeling like this
If that isn't love.

Even in death He remembered
The thief hanging by His side;
Then he spoke of love and compassion
Then He took him to paradise.

If that isn't love
The ocean is dry,
There’re no stars in the sky,
And the sparrow can't fly;
If that isn't love
Then heaven's a myth,
There's no feeling like this
If that isn't love.

GOD loves you! How much do you love Him? Happy Valentine's Day!

Blessings!
Tony