Every store seems to be filled with hearts, cupids, and other Valentine’s Day paraphernalia. It is that time of the year. It is time to focus on love.
Or is it?
It seems that the kind of love that our culture promotes is little more than a feeling you might (or might not) have. In other words, we can get the idea that love is not love unless YOU feel like it is love.
Unfortunately, when we begin to think that love is just a feeling, we are creating a new definition of the word. We ignore the fact that love is a choice, a commitment, actions, and often a feeling.
The movie Fireproof gave a beautiful picture of love. A self-centered husband pushed his wife to the point of her almost giving up on their relationship. After having an encounter with God, he realized how he had treated his wife and committed to show her the love that he held in his heart. Though she was obviously skeptical and after seeing him not falter in his change, she eventually accepted the love that she thought she would never receive from him.
I wish real life could be more like that movie’s premise. Unfortunately, many of us give up on loving someone when we are hurt or disappointed. That leaves us with broken relationships, broken marriages, resentment, and deep-seated anger.
Would you like to know how to overcome this?
Consider God. How many times have you disobeyed Him, ignored Him, put other things before Him, or openly defied Him? I do not know the exact number, but I do know that it is more times than we can count. Yet He loves you. He wants you in His family. He wants His family to be right. And He wants us to love.
Consider what we read in 1 John 4:7-8: “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
That is why we must love – whether we want to or not.
I challenge you to choose God’s kind of love. Ignore the ugly and divisive attitudes we see around us and on social media. Instead, choose to love as God has loved you.
I encourage you to watch the movie Fireproof. It has an excellent message that is much needed today.
When Dr. Jay Cook is asked to share a little of himself; his reply is, “Good question. I ask it a lot.” His delight is sharing that he is a blessed man – married to a wonderful woman (Kristi Cook) – and awed by his two amazing kids (Jameson & Amelia Rose). He has served in ministry for over 30 years and loves to help others in any way he can. Jay is the Associational Missions Strategist for the Leake County Baptist Association, and a part of an amazing new church (3:16 church) in Canton, MS. He also helps other churches (as he is able) through revivals, conferences, or however God leads. He shares his thoughts of a man just trying to live for Jesus (and wanting to help others do the same) through his blog at Dr. Jay Cook.
Photo from the cover of Fire Proof
Thanks for your message. To me, Love is an assignment and a Job description. God tells us to love one another as He has loved us. Romans( 13;8-10) says, ; Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.