Valentine's Day prep

Since Thursday is the day everyone's expected to show their 'love' by supporting florists, cardmakers and candy manufacturers, how 'bout we take a moment to really look at this "crazy little thing called love..."

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends...  (1 Cor 13:4-8a)

It's immediately apparent the difference between this description of Love, and how the world views 'love' today.  That's not surprising, however.  The Bible says that God's own nature is the definition of Love.  How far short of that perfection we fall!  Where we're prone to rule by feelings, falling "in" and "out" of 'love' at our convenience, God's Love 'reaches to the heavens,' and endures forever.  We misuse the same word 'love' to refer to both personal attraction and particular addictions (...I don't really 'love' peanut M&Ms... and they certainly don't 'love' me...).

No romance of man can compare to the Love Song of Yahweh, who allowed Himself to be abused by His beloved creation in the hope of restoring them to Himself.  That is the standard: love is self-sacrificial.  A marriage modeled on the relationship of Christ to His church is built on a solid foundation.  And it's on that foundation the family--the building block of society--is constructed securely. 

Marriages involve two imperfect people... so none of them are 'perfect.'  But still... we can Love.


None of us can fix all that is wrong around us... but we can Love.  And wherever we do, God Himself touches a part of this fallen, self-centered world.