Love: February 14, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2014.

LOVE

DEFINITION:

Affection for another person.

SCRIPTURE:

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an expressible and glorious joy. I Peter 1:8.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We cannot let this day pass without saying HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. This is a day set aside to put emphasis on love here in America. This is a day when spouses show their love to each other in a special way to express that they care. It may be through a gift or a card or an act of kindness. And this is a day when children and parents show something special to one another to express their love to one another.

In I Peter, Peter reminds us of a benefit that we enjoy because we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This benefit can carry us through times of trial, loneliness and sorrow. It is a rejoicing love that only God can give. It is a quiet joy that fills your heart simply because you know Jesus and His love in an intimate and personal way.

This joy that Peter talks about is not the result of anything God does for you, although He does so much for us. It is simply the result of who He is and the fact that He loves you and you love Him. And Peter reminds us that even though we cannot see Him we love Him. We have joy because of our love relationship with Him that allows us to have fellowship with Him.

Our deepest need in the world we live in today as men, women and children is love. Children cannot grow up whole unless they have love, expressed not only in words, but through affirming eye contact and physical touch. The same is true for the marriage relationship if it is not only to survive but to thrive.

Solomon wrote two books about love relationships. He wrote Ecclesiastics about our love relationship with God. Solomon says that without God and His love for us life is meaningless. He then wrote Song of Solomon about the love relationship between a husband and a wife. Without love a marriage is empty and meaningless.

These two books in the Bible express our need for faith, hope and love. We need to take time to read these books when we ever feel that our love relationship with God is not what it should be and our love relationship with our spouse is failing.

The world is not impressed by what we do not do. The world is impressed by what we do because as believers everything we do in life should show a positive attitude showing that we love. This is love based on our will, not on our emotions. It is a love that is based on our decision to seek the good in others, not on the fact that other people are loveable. In fact this kind of love is precisely aimed at those who are hard to love. This is what God wants from us not just on this VALENTINES DAY 2014, but every day.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Hebrews 11:6.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

PRAYER:

Thank You dear God for the love You showed to me by sending Your Son to this earth to die on the cross to pay my penalty for my sins. Help me to show Your love to others, this day, in a way that will reveal my love relationship with You and the glorious joy You have filled me with.