The Celebration of the Greatest Love

“This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.”

            

We all need to be loved and we all need to love. However, the need to love is mostly neglected and we focus on the need to be loved because of selfishness. In fact, every living thing needs love and responds to any expression of love. Animals, plants, and humans appreciate when shown some kind of love and care. But in today’s world, love is a scarce virtue because it is not easily given. 

Many today will appear to love you because they want something from you. The real test comes when you can’t supply what they were looking for. That is when you know whether you were loved or used. But the good news is that God is love . Loving is a product of His very nature. He loves not because of you but because of Himself. So in spite of what you may have done to disappoint and disobey God, He still loves you because He is Love, and He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

Whatever people have done against you and to disappoint, to abuse, and hurt you, God still loves you in spite of your circumstances. And He regards you highly as His child. Yes, many whys may not have answers now, but the greatest answer is that God is Love and that He loves you! The best thing you can do now is to start loving Him back. Love Him back by obeying Him (John 14:15) and love others. Jesus said “…Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another…”

Real love is found near the heart of God, the God who is Love. There is a place of quiet rest, a place of full release, a place where all are accepted, a place where sin does not molest, a place where temptations are overcome, a place where all guilty stains are washed away, a place where love overflows, and that place that is near to the heart of the living God. That is where you will learn how to love others unconditionally. That is where you need to stay all the days of your life because you belong there...

Be blessed as you stay near to God´s heart and as you sense His presence where ever you are.

Mphatso Bello 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love:

When talking about love in a romantic relationship most people refer to the attraction between two individuals.  But love is more than a sensation or a chemical reaction between two bodies. It is an attitude in life characterized by self-giving. It is enriched by everyday decisions to love again and it dries out when you stop cultivating acts of kindness toward the other. Love is not something that happens to us, “to love” is a verb, it is action, it is something we do.

Love applies to a romantic relationship but can also apply to family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Every time we put aside our ego, our personal interest, and give attention to the need of somebody else, we love. To love is to give preference to somebody outside yourself, you have to be able to see the importance, dignity, and value of others.

Even in a romantic and sexual relationship, you are to pursue the satisfaction of the person you love, not your own. If you focus only on your own satisfaction, it would be just selfish sex but not love. And love is what binds people together, not just sex.

Marriages don’t last when you marry to be happy. If you are looking for your own happiness don’t think in marriage. Marriage is hard work. Marriage requires you to make somebody happy not just for you to be happy. If your motivation to getting married is selfish, your marriage will not work. But if you really love there is hope. And yes, you will end up happy too.

Cupid does not represent love. It only represents the initial passion and attraction between two people. Love is more than that. It last longer, your whole life, if you cultivate it every day.

In the Bible, Jesus is presented as the maximum expression of love: He gave His life for our redemption. He cared for us. When you love, you give yourself to others. If you are a giver, you are a lover. If you are a taker, you are just thinking about yourself. When you move from the circle of your own interest to the interests and needs of others, you are starting to love.

Let use this valentine time to be less selfish and more giving. Let be more loving.

Daniel Martin

Happy Valentine!