The whole world is celebrating “Valentine’s Day” today. Shops are littered with heart shaped balloons, cards, chocolates, teddy bears with little hearts and so many other gifts that people (not just men!) are going to spend a lot of money on, to show their significant others what they mean to each other.
I am glad that many at least make the effort to recognize their loved one’s today. However, my problem is, most of these people end up being “Valentine’s Day Lovers” only and take love for granted, the remaining 364 days of the year!
What exactly is love? What do you think is love?
The society at large has a fairly vague, philosophical, good values driven definition of love.
Here’s a few definitions you can look up.
- Google (search “define:love”)
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online
The information displayed by Google is poor at best. God is nowhere to be seen, not all that surprising though, but definitely a bit odd since their “unofficial” motto is “Don’t be evil”. I digress.
Merriam-Webster on the other hand has at least one definition that refers to love in connection with God.
So, what’d the big deal? If you are an Atheist or someone with similar persuasions (don’t believe in God/thinks the Bible is a fairy tale/thinks Christians are using faith as a crutch because we are so weak), PLEASE read on, setting aside your perfect and complete understanding of the Universe , all creation and human beings in particular. Yes, I’m being extremely sarcastic!
God is love. (1 John 4:8)
If you don’t know the Lord or don’t know who God is, then my friend, you don’t love anyone!
A question to my unbelieving crowd. Did you create yourself? Of course not! Your parents did, right? Who created them? Their parents, right? Well, you can tell where I am going with this.
Tracing YOUR ancestry (having traversed through a few monkeys in the middle, thanks to Darwin), we reach the Big Bang, the origin of everything as YOU know it. Honestly, are you folks happy with this?
Now, let’s trace my ancestry.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27.
I like that! A lot better than having a few monkeys for great great great grandparents. Wouldn’t you agree?
Whether the unbelievers like it or not, want to believe in Him or not, God is real. God is there. God exists. All the morality and goodness and kindness and everything else nice (or politically correct) that the society (including the atheists, agnostics and unbelievers) has embraced and lives by (without acknowledging God or His existence), comes from God Himself! Read the Bible for yourself if you don’t believe me (Ten Commandments for example). And these folks have the audacity to say that God doesn’t exist, Jesus isn’t real, the Bible is a work of fiction and a whole bunch of nonsense like that!
Acknowledging the God of the Bible leaves everyone with two choices. Either you accept Him or reject Him.
Accepting Him means you live by His standards. No drugs. No cheating. No stealing. No sleeping around. But the heavenly consequence is ETERNAL LIFE with God in Heaven.
Rejecting Him means you live any way you want, sleep around, do drugs, kill, steal, cheat and enjoy without any fear of consequences (notice I said no fear of consequences, NOT that there are no consequences). There are earthly consequences. But, the heavenly consequence is ETERNAL DAMNATION in Hell.
Ok, I’ll get back to love.
John 3:16 is the penultimate display of God’s love for us.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 4:7-19 is a small explanation of what it means to demonstrate God’s love.
1 Corinthians 13 gives us a breakdown of what love is. Read this if you want to know what your love for others ought to be like.
In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus Himself summarizes the most important commandments of God that we ought to focus on. Its amazing how, following them, will have an impact on every area of our life! For, if we love God and then love others like He loves us, our world would indeed be a different place, a better place!
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40
So my friends, if you have a genuine desired to love your significant other, your family, your friends and loved one’s – then, seek out Jesus Christ. Believe that He is who He says He is: the Saviour of the World, Lord and God Almighty Himself!
Commit your life to Him. Read the Bible and follow it. God’s Holy Spirit will be there with you all the way, till He calls you home, to spend eternity with Him in Heaven!
I like that!
God bless you all.
Thank Sri 🙂