Dear SCC & Friends,
Let love be sincere…
~Romans 12:9
Reflection #102
A sincere person is free from pretense or deceit. When our son, David, was a young boy, he had a favorite professional wrestler that he often mimicked. His name was “Brother Love”. His pre-match ritual included nearing his opponent and speaking in a low and gravelly voice with obvious insincerity, “I really luuuuuv you, but that doesn’t mean I liiiiike you!” Mimicking Brother Love became a family joke, yet the humor had a ring of truth. It is very hard to love someone we don’t like… very hard but not impossible. Love means loving the unlovable, or it is no virtue at all. Love by its very nature must be sincere. … But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart… ~1 Tim. 1:5 Jesus commands us to love one another, and we recognize it by the action it prompts… more of a verb than a noun… We must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words. ~1 Jn. 3:18 Love is more than strong emotions and deep feelings… In the end it is a heartfelt decision. 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… ~1 Cor. 13:4-5 Love never fails... ~1Cor. 13:8
We just celebrated Valentine’s Day which focuses on romantic love, courtship and marriage. The Bible is no stranger to romantic devotion… “Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the maidens.” “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men.” ~Song of Sol. 2:2-3 In fact, parts of the Song of Solomon can make one blush. The Lord is not a prude and is the Creator of all beauty and worth. God is love in His very essence and totality…Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s good for us to be reminded that …the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ~Rom. 5:5 We are eternally blessed to be partakers and distributors of God’s love. We were made for these days… We love, because He first loved us. ~1 Jn. 4:19 Keep up the good work!
Yours in the love of Christ,
Kevin