Every year on the 14th of February many people around the world formally celebrate love. Flowers, cards, candy and gifts are exchanged. Children send cards and flowers to their mothers. Mother’s shower their children with love (and candy). Young children exchange cards with classmates. For couples, romance is in the air! They enjoy candlelit dinners at home, a favorite restaurant, or perhaps somewhere reserved only for very special occasions. This is the day for poetry, love letters, singing, dancing and well, you know, LOVE!
But when we peel back the layers of joyful, genuine, spontaneous, fun, traditional, expected, obligatory, resentful, forgotten and intentionally neglected declarations, deeds and donations that commemorate affection based solely on feelings, what we find is difficult to reconcile. The truth about love doesn’t align with the empty promises of literature, movies and societal disguises. Chronic disappointment, broken heartedness, cheating, lying, divorce, neglect, abuse, sadistic pleasure, domestic violence, murder and suicide are all devastating realities associated with many, if not most, of the love relationships that rely on finding satisfaction in another person’s words and actions. It is rare to find a family not touched by at least one, if not several, of these ‘love’ related tragedies.
But there is hope!
There is a man named Jesus that wants to have a love relationship with you. The love He offers is not based on feelings or empty promises. Jesus offers perfect love. The best description of perfect love is found in the Christian Bible (the Word of God).
In 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1-3, we learn that no matter what you do, no matter what you have, and no matter what you give, without perfect love it is all worthless.
Continuing in verses 4-7, God tells us what perfect love is, what it is not, what it does and what it does not do:
Love Is
- Patient
- Kind
Love Does
- Celebrate Truth
- Protect
- Believe
- Hope
- Endure
Love Is Not
- Arrogant
- Rude
- Easily Provoked
Love Does Not
- Envy
- Brag
- Want its Own Way
- Dwell on Evil
- Celebrate Sin
And finally, in verses 8-13, God tells us that love is Permanent, Perfect, Powerful and Preeminent.
The rest of the Bible helps us to more deeply understand and appreciate God’s perfect love.
How can Jesus offer this perfect love?
- Because Jesus is perfect. He is the only person to ever live a sinless life.
- That means Jesus never offended God. He never fell short of God’s standards or rebelled against God’s principles and requirements.
How is that possible?
- Because Jesus is also God.
- The God of the universe is one God who exists and reveals Himself as three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Ghost.
Jesus, God the Son, came to earth as a man to sacrifice himself on a Roman cross to pay the debt for our offences against God the Father. Then Jesus rose from the dead to substantiate His claims of deity and to defeat our enemies Satan and death. He did all this in the power of God the Spirit.
Regardless of what you may have heard or seen in others, being a Christian is not about rules; it is about a love relationship with Jesus Christ. This love relationship leads to changed thinking and behavior.
Read the following verses from the Bible while asking God to open your heart to the truth.
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
- Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
- Romans 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
- 1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Jesus is calling you. He is saying, ‘Be Mine.’
- If you have never heard of Him – trust Him now as your Lord and Savior.
- Pray – Jesus, I understand that I have offended God by falling short of His standards. I believe that You willingly died for my sins because as God You love me perfectly. I ask you to forgive my sins and I trust You now as my Lord and Savior. I claim Your promises of a changed life on earth and eternal life in Heaven. I surrender my life to You and pray in Your precious name, Amen.
- If you have rejected Him in the past – beg Him to forgive you and to save you from your sin.
- Pray – Jesus, I am sorry for rejecting You in the past. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me through Your Word and Your Spirit. Thank You for sustaining my life since I last heard and rejected Your truth. I understand that I have offended God by falling short of His standards. I believe that You willingly died for my sins because as God You love me perfectly. I ask you to forgive my sins and I trust You now as my Lord and Savior. I claim Your promises of a changed life on earth and eternal life in Heaven. I surrender my life to You and pray in Your precious name, Amen.
- If you are His child but not walking with Him – turn from whatever is drawing you away and run to Him.
- Pray – Jesus, please strengthen me and give me victory over the things in my life that have caused me to turn from You. I long for Your presence in my life and ask You to forgive me. Please give me a hunger for Your Word and a desire to serve You faithfully. I pray in the power of Your name, Amen.
- If you are walking daily with Jesus – hold tight to His love and His truths. Depend on His strength for your endurance.
- Pray – Jesus, I know that only by Your presence and the power of the Holy Spirit am I walking faithfully with You. Your grace and mercy amaze me each and every day. I beg You to keep me close to You and faithful to Your calling on my life. I praise You my precious Savior and pray in Your name, Amen.
When you become a Christian by surrendering to the Lordship of Christ you become a living temple of God. With God dwelling in you, the Holy Spirit empowers you to live a life that glorifies God. One of the amazing truths about truly surrendering your life to God is that you can learn how to love with God's perfect love.
- 1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
- 1 John 4:15-16 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
In the frailty of our humanity we always fall short of the perfect standards set by God. But with the truth of His Word, the example Jesus has set for us, and with the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, even in our weaknesses individual Christians and Christ's body of believers (the Church) can show God, other Christians and the rest of the world the hope found in perfect love.
- Mark 12:29-31 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
- John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
There is hope for healthy, peaceful and lasting love relationships. Sacrificial love based on God honoring values, decisions and commitments brings healing and stability to families, communities and the world.
Our hope for love is found in Jesus Christ!
Prayer
Father, may Your will be done with this devotion. I trust You and the power of Your Word. I pray in the name above all names, Jesus. Amen.
