I'm one of the 63% of guys who wait until the last minute to buy Valentine's gifts. As I stood in the Hallmark store with guys lined up 10 people deep at four different registers, the perky clerk giddy with excitement, I found myself wondering who each person was buying for, and why.
Some were buys for wives or girlfriends (or both), others for relatives--their mom, a sister, or daughter. I wondered if the purchases were being made out of a sense of real affection or duty and obligation. I don't want to question other people's motives, but find myself doing it quite frequently, especially my own.
Tina Turner posed the question back in the day, "What's love got to do with it?" Then she asked, "What's love, but a second-hand emotion?"
I thought of the greatest love the world has ever known, and how the One who expressed that love would answer those two questions: Love has everything to do with it, and it is neither second-hand nor just sentimental emotion.
The greatest love ever expressed is described this way: "God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." Love motivates everything God does and He doesn't give us second-hand gifts or leftovers--He gives His best, He gives His all.
Do you want to make a difference in the lives of those around you? Love is not heart-shaped candies, roses or greeting cards. It is not sentimentality. Love is commitment and sacrifice. Love is a choice; often a painful one. Love gives without a thought of getting in return. Love goes the distance. Love serves.
To whom can you express God-like love today?
~ Dear God, teach me to love the way you do. Teach me to serve others and not seek to be served. Amen.
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