Love is Designed to be Constant not Seasonal

 

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…”

(rf. I Cor. 13:4-8a NASB)

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” 

(rf. Gal. 5:22-23 NASB)

 

 

February has arrived and with it the emphasis on love. The world takes this opportunity to overwhelm us with the need to spend inordinate amounts of money on those whom we love.  Their view is that the dollars spent should be an equal reflection of the loved one’s value in your lives. If that were the case, truly we would be bankrupt and forever in debt, for no monetary attachment could ever come close to reflecting the blessing of those who have shown their unconditional love and dedication to us over the years. Money spent properly can indeed give someone we care for an indication that we do love them, but it is not necessary since we tend to communicate our love for others regularly through the things we do normally and by the encouragement we provide in both word and action. Material gifts are not the only way to express our love to others.

If love were only a feeling, then momentary reflections through gifts would be appropriate. But how would the person receiving the gift feel between gifts? Do we still love them in the intervening times? True love, however, is much more than a feeling; it is a commitment to be there through thick and thin, poverty and wealth, good times and bad, illness and well-being. To accurately reflect this love, gifts given out of appreciation for another’s love and devotion should be a year-round practice. Nor does our appreciation always have to shown in expensive gifts, but rather in the giving of a smile, a hug, a word of encouragement—each of these bestowed at the right time can be worth more than the most extravagant of presents.

Therefore, during this month in which “love” is the key theme, make the commitment to show those you love that you care for them daily, not just during holiday seasons. Remember that the essence of love is derived from the source of love itself—God. He gave and still gives His love freely, showing us in a myriad of ways that He cares for each us within the events of our everyday lives. His ultimate gift of His Son was granted to us with no price tag attached; His atonement for our sins was free, but its worth was priceless and most costly! Though we can never match such a gift in content, we can give to our loved ones acts of kindness, compassion, and encouragement in the spirit of Christ’s gift to us. I guarantee these things along with material gifts from time to time will bless the heart of the recipient more so as it shows them that our love for them is not seasonal, but continual, as is Christ’s love for us.

A Negative or Positive Heart: What God Wants to See Within Us

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

(Prov. 23:7 KJV)

  

            New beginnings are very good times to develop new perspectives on how we act, interact and live our lives. As Christians the standard for doing these things is so high, it is literally out of reach for us apart from God’s grace being operational continuously in us. We do not have the capacity to do good or to be good in ourselves. The Apostle Paul wrote about this truth extensively in the first few chapters of his letter to the Romans (see chaps. 1-3). It is on the basis of this truth of our own innate sinfulness that he builds his doctrine of justification by faith since we cannot justify ourselves before God on the foundation of our merits. However, pursuing a discussion on the reality of this doctrine is not my intent in this article; therefore, forgive my digression.

            Rather, having pauses in our lives gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we are living and behaving toward others around us. Many of us do a good job of fooling ourselves into believing that we are better than we really are. Some are quick to point out the “speck that is in (our) brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in (our) own eye” (rf. Matt. 7:3 NASB). Others have an ongoing love affair with negativity and, like a fog bank of noxious and deadly gases, they have a poisonous effect on all of the people and relationships in their lives. Still others, because they were treated poorly in their past, feel the need to become the victim in every situation so that all ill that they experience is someone else’s fault and never their own. These are just a few examples of how the principle exhibited by the author of this proverb above, likely Solomon, comes to life. 

            Solomon here states that our actions and attitudes are directly reflective of the status of our heart. If our heart is negative, dark, vindictive, victimized, then our perspective and deeds cannot but be adverse. We will keep people at arms-length, always striking first at them so that we are not hurt ourselves…again. If our heart is positive and overwhelmed by the grace of God, then our conduct will follow suit. We will be thankful for all the blessings we have experienced in the past and look forward to feeling God’s favor in the future. We will also treat others with kindness, compassion, love and mercy, all qualities of the Lord Jesus who has brought His Spirit and salvation into our lives.

            Therefore, my encouragement to all of us is to take an honest, personal assessment of where our hearts lie in terms of being negative or positive. If we see that negativity is our “calling card”, then we need to ask the Lord to make Himself, His Spirit and His Gospel real within us, to change us and transform us by His power so that we can be used by Him to affect positive change. If we see that His love is operational within us and our viewpoint toward others is constructive, optimistic and service-oriented, then may we ask the Lord to give us even more opportunities to be His agents of encouragement and affirmation. We all need to arrive at this point of submissiveness to His greater use so we can see Him do more of His good in our own lives and in the lives of others, as individual believers and as His Church.