February, the month when\ncards, roses and chocolates appear in our stores for Valentine’s Day.\nRestaurants advertise special meals. Many enjoy the gifts and expressions of\nlove they receive. We all want to be loved and we blossom when we feel secure in\nthe knowledge that we are indeed loved by those we love in return. Sadly human\nlove inevitably passes away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those who follow\nChrist follow a crucified and risen Lord who defined love by his sacrifice. This\namazing gift of love should prompt Christ’s followers to consider how they may love\nand serve others. They should not expect others to serve them in return. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the history of humankind there is only one Man who\ndeserves to be made much of, to be worshiped and celebrated every waking moment,\nJesus Christ, God\u2019s Son, the one who was entitled to be adored but instead\nchose to be abhorred, despised, and rejected, a man of sorrows, bearing our\ngriefs and sins. \u201c…he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for\nour iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with\nhis stripes we are healed.\u201d (Isaiah 53:5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHerein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved\nus, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.\u201d (1 John 4:10)*<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rights forfeited, griefs and hardship accepted, putting others\u2019\nneeds before our own. This is the way of true love. Human love will so often\nfail us and leave us disappointed and disillusioned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Why not search\nfor the true love shown by God and Jesus? By deciding to try to understand this\neverlasting love it will lead us to put others before ourselves. A love willing\nto sacrifice its wants, desires, and dreams for the joy of others. A love of\nthe glory of God, not of the glorification of self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we can truly love others, we must first love God. Such love for others can only be developed by\nunderstanding the nature of God\u2019s love towards humankind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that\nwhoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did\nnot send his Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the\nworld might be saved through him.\u201d (John 3:16-17) <\/p>\n\n\n\n The only ones who can truly love are born of God and know God.\nWithout understanding God\u2019s love in sending Jesus to be a sacrifice for our\nsins, we are not capable to give out such \nlove to those in our lives. \u201c…while we were still weak, at the right time\nChrist died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person….God\nshows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(Romans\n5:6-8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe love because he (God) first loved us.\u201d (1 John 4:19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n While we were still sinners, Jesus loved us. When we had\ndone nothing for Him, He loved us. His love for us is shown in his sacrifice on\nthe cross. Jesus, by his death, opened up the way to everlasting life to those\nwho truly try to follow him. Only the heart that treasures this love is capable\nof giving it out. To love, not to get but to give, not to use, but to be used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To receive the love of God is to accept our bankruptcy. We\nhave nothing good to our name, only sin. We deserve death but by the love of\nChrist we are spared. So when it comes to our relationships, we must put to\ndeath any thoughts of entitlement. \u2018I deserve better\u2019 has no place in the mind\nof a Christian. \u201cFor the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is\neternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.\u201d (Romans 6:23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s far too easy to focus on what we think others should do\nfor us, especially those who are closest to us. When they fail to meet our\nexpectations we are tempted to punish. Remember that in the hour we were most\nundeserving, Christ died for us. So when those we love let us down, we must put\nto death our preferences, our selfish ambitions, our desires and wants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, let us be reminded of who we are. We are sinners with a Saviour,\nJesus, children with a Heavenly Father,\nbeggars with an abundance of treasure, entitled to nothing, yet possessors of\neverything. We are learning to be free from self. We try to love unreservedly.\nAs such, we can reject cultural ideas about love and about what we deserve. We\ncan believe in our God and Jesus who are more than enough for us, today,\ntomorrow and every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In God and His Son\nJesus Christ alone true love is found, and through them alone true love is\ngiven.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"