Show your love
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." (NIV) 1 John 3:16
The month of February is seen globally as the month of love. During this period, people who were born in February become excited. Many people try to demonstrate their love to their physical romantic partners. Married couples and engaged people expect special treats and gifts from their partners. The majority of those in intimate relationships always looks up to February. Singles wish they get their partner before February or in February to also enjoy the love mood.
As Christians, what is love? How do we demonstrate that Christian love?
There are many false perceptions about love. People today are looking for “how to be loved” rather than on “how to be loving.” All want to be loved, less want to show love. It is easy to become infected with the false idea that we become lovable by attaining vocational success, material wealth, and social prestige. Especially ensnaring is the obsession with making ourselves attractive. Many are paying dearly for trying to keep up with faddish tastes and trends in clothing and cosmetics. Physical health and financial soundness are being sacrificed on the altar of “The god of good looks.”
There is nothing wrong with making ourselves attractive; the problem occurs when our physical appearance becomes the basis of our self-esteem, rather than a reflection of it. As long as this wrong emphasis persists, we will understand nothing about the real nature of love and will, therefore, fail to find meaning in life.
Another challenge is in finding the right lover or love object. Next is that peculiar notion that people “fall in love” love, like an accidental tumble, is something that happens to us by chance, in an unguarded moment. It is elusive, unpredictable and yes, even victimizing. No wonder those who subscribe to such a view of love seem to stumble from one disastrous relationship to another, for “falling” is a dangerous, often harmful experience. Until we understand that love is not some power beyond the control of our wills, we will undoubtedly keep “falling in love again” and again. Sleep and temptation are things into which we may fall. Love is not.
A final example of erroneous thinking about love is the belief that “nothing is easier than loving.” Eric Fromm wrote, “Is there any activity or enterprise which is started with such great expectations and tremendous hopes, and yet fails so regularly, as this thing called love?” we have come to know everything about physical sex, but we don’t know much about love. This is the problem.”
Some know more than others about this thing called love, but they did not learn it by their own ingenuity. They learned it by listening to and imitating one who knows more about love than any of us, for He is the personification of love. For us human beings and for our salvation, He became the physical embodiment of love. Love is not discovered through scientific research; it is bestowed by gracious revelation. It is not a human achievement, but a divine gift. It is not mined out of the earth: it descends out of heaven. It is not made with hands: it can only be received by empty hands. All sound thinking about love must begin with God: (Larry Deason).
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:7-10).