If I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If
I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I
have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And
if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be
burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Valentine’s Day. It
is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by
presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known
as "valentines"). The author of the original and greatest valentine
of all time seeks our very hearts to claim as His own. He also wants the very best for us because He
loves us so much. We can look to Him for
direction in our relationships – after all, He
created love. He was love that came
to life for us. God IS love because it
is the best thing to be.
Love is for All
For the Christian who desires to know the fullness of faith,
there is the call to discover the power of real love in all of life and its relationships. This gift is made available to all who know Christ and His love. Notice that love is referred to as a
gift. True love is a true gift. It is given with no expectation and
undeservedly.
Love is the only force that can reconcile the
differences between people; that can bridge the chasms of bitterness and
animosity that so frequently and violently separate us. What makes love so amazing? For starters, it is what motivated the Father
to send His only Son to die for us. Without
love, there would have been no redemption for mankind. Not only would we be without love, but without
the redemption that was precipitated by love. There would also be no faith, and
no hope. You see, nothing else matters, without love. It is foundational for every other good thing
in our lives.
Love is not only the greatest thing in the world it is also
the most powerful transforming force. It has the power to change our lives in
far greater ways than money, things, or prestige. According to the verses above, you can have
lots of things, knowledge, and prestige but still be nothing without love. However, if you have love and nothing else –
no money, no power or prestige, you have everything. Loving people does bring us pain and sorrow along
with joy, but living a life with no
love, even with power, prestige and money, will be a life of loneliness and
sorrow with very little true happiness.
Love does make the world go around. The love of Christ is the most complete, true
love of all, and when we have that in our heart and can love others as He has
loved us, we can experience that complete, true love in all our relationships.
Scripture to Claim:
And you shall love
the lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind, and with all your strength. "The second is this, you shall love
your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than
these." Mark 12:30-31
