Love
As a lot of you probably already realize, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. It often sneaks up on us. Especially us guys. Even though we are bombarded with tv ads, Wal-Mart decorations, and the radio, we still forget about it. I know, it’s pitiful. But ladies, you should love us for who we are.
I don’t want to take this time to talk about the origins of Valentine’s Day. It is not exactly what people think it is when you look at how it got started. What it is today is supposedly a celebration of “love”. Some think it was a holiday started by Hallmark to get business up until Mother’s Day rolls around. Logical thinking but not accurate.
I want to look at what is the center of the holiday. I want us to look and consider “love”. The world has corrupted so many things that God blessed us with. Love is one of those. The world has made love nothing more than the process of satisfying our own selfish lusts. Feeding our very sin nature.
What does the Bible say about love? It says a lot. Look at what 1 John 4:8 says:
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 1 John 4:8
Mankind has a knack of showing his ignorance in an effort to show his genius. We think we have everything figured out. We think we know how to love. We think we know how to show our love. We think we can buy one’s affections. We often supposedly “fall in love” with someone because of empty words. The lost world has no idea how to love. Why? Because of the verse quoted above. You cannot give away what you don’t possess. If you do not have God in your heart, you are incapable of truly loving others.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
What is the perfect example of an active love? Give your life for that person. I heard a story one time about this family that had two kids, one boy and one girl. The little boy became sick and needed a surgery or he would die. His little sister was a perfect match to give blood needed during the surgery. The parents and the doctor asked the little girl if she was willing to give her brother some of her blood so he could have the surgery. She did not even hesitate to say yes. She was glad to do what she could to help her brother. When the time came to donate blood, the little girl laid down. As they began to withdraw her blood, the little girl looked at the doctor and asked, “How long until I die?”. This little girl knows the definition of how to love. She was willing to give her life, without any questions, for her little brother to live. Jesus did this for us. He gave His life so that we might live.
I am reminded of an awesome song that a lot of people have never heard. It is an old song by the group Third Day. It is written as a love song to us from Jesus himself. In closing, I have included the lyrics to the song below. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Love Song
I’ve heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has never been done
I’ve never climbed the highest mountain
But I walked the hill of Calvary
Just to be with you,I’d do anything
There’s not price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I’d give anything
I would give my life away
I’ve heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It can never be done
I’ve never swam the deepest ocean
But I walked upon the raging sea
Just to be with you,I’d do anything
There’s not price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I’d give anything
I would give my life away
I know that you don’t understand the fullness of My love
How I died upon the cross for your sins
And I know you don’t realize how much that I gave you
But I promise, I would do it all again
Just to be with you, I did everything
There’s not price I did not pay
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away
Songwriters: JOHNNY MAC POWELL,SAMUEL TAI ANDERSON,BRADLEY B. C. AVERY,DAVID CARR,MARK D. LEE© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC,Peermusic Publishing,Universal Music Publishing Group,Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.,CARLIN AMERICA INC