You may have started seeing it on the shelves at the store soon after Christmas – Valentine’s Day candy! The card racks at the Hallmark store may have been filled with Valentine’s cards before you drug your Christmas tree to the curb!
Some have referred to Valentine’s Day as the “Hallmark holiday.” Each year approximately 190 million Valentine cards are sent in the U.S. In 2010 an estimated 15 million e-Valentines were sent. We invest a lot of time, money and energy into showing our love! But God’s love is deeper than this.
Love is central to the theme of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation that theme comes through. God created man in his own image desiring a relationship with him. Even when man sinned, God, while not condoning the sin, still showed a desire to offer forgiveness to those who would repent and return to him.
We read in the Bible of people who loved God. A notable example is David. His love for God was so deep that in scripture he is referred to as a man after God’s own heart.
In Matthew 22 the Pharisees, in their quest to get Jesus to say something against the Old Testament law asked him this question, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus answers in Matthew 22:37 – 40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you 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.”
Jesus meets their challenge by quoting from the Law itself in Deuteronomy and Leviticus. They couldn’t nail him on that!
His two part answer is the foundation for our lives and ministries in our homes, families and churches. It starts with loving God with everything that we are – our heart, soul and mind. It’s a love for God that guides our thoughts, words and actions so that they are pleasing to God. The more we spend time in and grow in the word, the deeper this love grows because we allow God’s heart and mind to be in us.
Jesus then reminds us that this love is shown in how we love others. Loving your neighbor as yourself means that we put others first. We put the needs of our spouse, our children, our family, our co-workers, etc. ahead of our own. We become intentional
This love is even seen in the day to day casual encounters of life. Taking the time to smile and greet the clerk at the store. Treating the waitress with kindness. Thanking the person ahead of you for holding the door for you. I once heard someone say that these small acts of love and kindness leave the “handprints of Jesus” on the hearts of people we cross paths with. Just imagine what could happen if every follower of Christ showed this type of love each day.
“For God so loved the world that that he gave his one an only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
God shows us that love is seen when we give of ourselves, when we give our best to him, and to others.
As we go through each day of our lives, let’s be aware of that in loving God and loving people, we can make an impression in the lives of others. God brings countless opportunities throughout our lives to show his love to others. Look for them, welcome them, and don’t miss them. Instead of getting stuck in your own situations, look for ways to love others and help them rise above their situations. In so doing, you will find that love given back to you.
Haiti
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