February the 14^th, is the day each year that many around the world will celebrate or at least acknowledge the expression of what we call love. There will always be various creative measures taken by some who will show their love towards their loved ones with an expression of finesse. As I was preparing my heart to speak to my congregation this past Sunday morning, I found myself wondering why it is that we only recognize certain days of the year to which we are more readily willing to show our love more extravagant from the other days of the year. It's as if we all have a yearly calendar that we use to lay out as reminders of the things we need to bear in mind. In other words, Valentines Day is one of those days that I will do something special to show my love and appreciation to the person or person's I most deeply care for. Is love to be extravagant only on certain days of the year when our calendars suggest it is time to do so religiously? It's much like Christmas for instance. This is the day that most in our culture recognize as the day Christ was born. However, it has unfortunately evolved into celebrating the exchanging of gifts to one another which is obviously prompted by the commercialization of that day to make a profit for businesses. The meaning has been totally lost to what the day really means.

However, if we that are Christians observe our life more correctly from what the Word of God says, than we recognize that every day should identify with the birth, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How can we then say as believers that one certain day is more meaningful than the other 364 days of the year? If we do this we will be absent of the life giving force of Christ on the other days, and will therefore, not recall that His life should affect every day. In addition, with this in mind concerning the day we recognize as Valentines Day, the day of "love," we as believers should know that we are commanded to love one another unconditionally every day! How, therefore, can we fully express it in just one specific day while avoiding the other days? I dare say we can't! In what ways can we truly show it, if we resolve to do it only on one certain days of the year? I believe love has lost its spontaneity by most people today; and has retreated to marking its celebrations to few a special days of recognition of the year that our calendars have uniformly noted. Have we been successfully conditioned by the industry of commercialization to support their agendas? Are we seeing the same trend happening in the church? I believe if we are not careful and possibly we may already be there; we will diminish the truths and identities to which mark us as Christians, and thereby, become victims by the very ones who wish to merchandise us for their profit. Love cannot be canonized to fit certain times of the year where we would celebrate them, while neglecting it throughout the remaining other days. Therefore, we could never know true love and its meaning if it is reserved only for certain times of the year.

In this week's devotional we point to a problem that has been cleverly sown into our society; which has ultimately affected the church with the same negative influence. What is this that I am referring to? It is when we compartmentalize the seasons to when we should express our affections. Its like for example: I worship only when I am in church. Have you ever realized that the Word of God says to rejoice always! It did not say to do this when things are going good; but in all things giving thanks unto the Lord. When love is categorized to fit certain times and places only, then it is not the love the Bible speaks of. Did you ever read from God's Word that Jesus said to love your enemies? [Sigh], let me look at my calendar and see what day we are to acknowledge loving those who despitefully use us. It's not there is it? The Christian life is one that exudes with the divine force of Christ in them, which enables that person to be able to love at all times no matter the treatment they are experiencing by their tormentors. Remember Stephen just as he was being stoned by his accusers? Forgive them Lord, and lay not this sin to their charge. I doubt seriously that many believers today would be willing to give their accuser a Valentine card at this moment of time. It could only have been the "divine love" in Stephen that could have enabled him to seize that moment and thereby, handle it with genuine affection even towards them that desired him to die. Love cannot be disbursed at certain moments more fitting to the occasion; and then withheld at other times when it is deemed proper to do so. Look with me over in the classic and noted love chapter of the Bible.

1 Corinthians 13:1-4 (MSG)
¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.
² If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.
³ If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
⁴ Love never gives up.

Notice in the Scriptures that "love" is the catalyst to everything that God builds from. As a matter of fact, God describes Himself as a God of love. Therefore, when He qualifies that anything done for any reason other than because of love, it is worthless! Then we need to understand that He is the expert on this, and there can be no argument to that fact. I like what verse four expresses here: Love never gives up! Back some 31+ years ago when I was dating my wife she used to always tell me how much she loved me; and my natural response to her was that I liked her too! The reason I told her that I "liked" her instead of that I "loved" her, was simply because my references to love had pain attached to it. Whenever I heard someone say they loved: there was always the witness present in me of someone leaving, someone hitting, someone cheating, etc. My idea of that word "love" was very shallow within my real-time experiences; and actually it was more often used in meaningless statements such as, "I love pizza, or, I love apple pie." Love had no real meaning or value to me other than it was attributed to an emotion that I felt, and by which could also change at any moment. I did not have confidence in love because it was not a trustworthy affection within my life or those around me. I thank God that love captured my heart on that day when Christ revealed Himself to me. As I reflect on all the years I lived before Christ came in me, I can now see how real love never gives up. Therefore, through this impartation of God's love expressed deeply in me, I realize that His love is always ready to show itself even when I did not think it was present. That incredible love, His love; proved to me that it can never give up on what it has determined to pursue.

1 Corinthians 13:4 (MSG)
⁴ Love cares more for others than for self, (b).

I have counseled with more married couples over the years who were struggling than I can recall to number here within this article. Howbeit, I have found one theme that showed up consistently in all of these cases. Selfishness! It is a destructive and demoralizing expression of ones "will" to its intended victim. When this negative characteristic shows up in a Christian's life there is a tremendous loss of spiritual sight by that believer. What I mean by this is that they have forgotten that it was love that reached out to them even though they were undeserving of its affection. As I think about this, I realize that when God refused to see me as unforgivable; He was looking beyond my faults willingly by His own choice because He desired to have a relationship with me much more than hold me to my deliberate mistakes. Therefore, love through God was demonstrating that caring for me or you was much more important than Him. Yes, I know, this is sobering; yet at the same time it makes one want to check that that statement is understood properly and was not a blasphemous remark. But, God really did in fact, count us more important than Himself that He would willingly give away His own righteousness for the payment for you and me, so that we might partake of it and have fellowship, and be in right standing with Him. Love on this account was not self-serving, but rather, caring more for others than itself. 

1 Corinthians 13:4 (MSG)
⁴ Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. (c).

Another facet of this love which we are devoting our topic to is that it never covets what it doesn't have. It is a terrible thing to witness when another person craves for what some other person may have. This impropriety of character reveals undeniably that true love is absent within this individual. Why? It is because they are not ever content with what they have, but on the contrary want desperately to gain what belongs to another even at the expense of evil activity to obtain it.

1 Corinthians 13:4 (MSG)
⁴ Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, (d).

The person, who needs to be the one admired, is walking on the dangerous ground of pride. True love does not need to be showcased as the main event in order to feel good about themselves. Whenever you witness pride exhibit itself, it will always have a big-head that must be insanely acknowledged or they will be found throwing a fit which actually is embarrassing to watch as that individual implodes.

1 Corinthians 13:5 (MSG)
⁵ Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

It amazes me how pride as ugly as it may appear to others when watching it manifest in another, is not easily detected by the one who is entrapped to it. If genuine love is not present there will be the abuse of others and we have all seen that measure dealt to some poor soul. Whenever the God kind of love is void in a person, they can't help but make everything about them. These are usually the most vindictive individuals who will aggressively attack without remorse. They are also the very ones who keep a score card of everything that was did to them or taken from them, and they use it to justify their mean-spirited actions.

1 Corinthians 13:6 (MSG)
⁶ Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

The Bible tells us that anyone who celebrates when others collapse cannot be convincingly walking in love. I have known people that actually looked for the moment that they could rejoice over someone fall that they were upset with. It's as if they figure in their self-righteousness that God is repaying these individuals for doing them wrong. In some sort of warped way they seem to draw comfort to someone else's tragedy which makes their situation look better. I have discovered that those who truly walk in the love that the Bible speaks of, will in fact, take more pleasure in seeing that the truth prevails to the benefit of others.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (MSG)
⁷ Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

Finally, we see that love puts up with anything. I know this is a truth that cannot be disputed, for my wife has put up with my inconsistencies for over 31 years. Whereas, over time I have observed others who just cannot tolerate the slightest deficiency in someone else through which they use their own self-abased measuring stick to come to that justifiable means to judge. God's kind of love when found in a person will demonstrate complete trust that the Lord is faithful. The Bible teaches that perfect love will cast out fear at all levels. Another attribute of God's love is that when it dwells in a person, it will look for the very best in everyone, and chooses not to draw its focus on their weaknesses. True "love" is a forward expression that refuses to look backwards to what could have been or what should have been done better. God's kind of love in a believer never stalls out, but finishes its course without regrets.

As I close this article today I hope you will have gotten the heart picture of how "Valentine's Day," when truly understood will run throughout each and every day of our life as a Christian. As a matter of fact, it was St. Valentine around the year 250 A.D. who had an appointment with destiny that would mirror for us just what this love will endure. For those of you who know your history, Claudius, the emperor of Rome desired a large army under his rule. Therefore, he put out the word for those to enlist in his army. To his surprise he discovered that the young men of his country did not want to join the army, but rather wanted to get married and have families. This enraged the emperor to such a degree that he put into law that none of the young men would be allowed to marry, thereby, they must serve in his army. Here we find another story of an attack against "love." However, St. Valentine did not adhere to Claudius' law. He in fact, kept marrying the youth of his countrymen, and it eventually cost him his life. There was a particular time when St. Valentine was performing a marriage when there were footsteps from the emperor's army who was closing in on this special occasion. The young couple managed to get away, but unfortunately, St. Valentine was detained and brought into legal custody.  

St. Valentine was thrown into prison awaiting execution for breaking the emperor's horrific law against love. The story goes on to say that a young lady faithfully came to visit St. Valentine every day up until he was executed because she believed that what he had done was a good thing; and they would visit for hours. This young lady was able to see St. Valentine because she was the guards own daughter who allowed her entrance to visit him in his cell. The day St. Valentine was executed there was a note left to the young lady who had visited him faithfully and it read, "Love, from your Valentine." Down through the generations this has now become the tradition which we now celebrate as "Valentine's Day." Love had triumphed over the adversity to its very existence.

There is another story that holds much more significance then the one we just shared of St. Valentine. That story of course, is the love of God that was willing to give up His own Son for the likes of us. I am amazed at that blessed grace that came here to find me and has called me His very own. I won't even begin to tell you that I understand it; I only know that it has captured me completely, and without it, I could never survive again. If you look throughout the Bible you will find that God has left His numerous messages and notes that are addressed to you and to me personally. God the Father didn't just settle on Words either, but backed it with a gift wrapped up in a heart that beats solely for us. This heart wasn't filled with chocolates. It flowed with His precious blood that would ensure for all times that we would be His very own. If this love has wrapped its arms around your life, then we cannot help but see the miracle of that same love pouring out upon others. No greater love than this, than a man lay down his life for another. Love has everything to do with it! Share it, its contagious!