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February, 2004 Here's My Heart... Traditionally, it is simply called "The LOVE Month". After all, it's the month we celebrate Valentine's Day, and the greeting card industry, chocolate candy factories, and flower growers anticipate it's arrival for the other eleven months of the year! And, sure enough, we purchase those greeting cards, and chocolates, and flowers because, well.....because we're supposed to! It's enough to make us laugh, at least on the inside. And yet, there are probably few words in the English language that have been as misused, abused, and maligned as the four-letter word L-O-V-E. Think about it. We use the same word to speak of our affection for our parents, spouses, children, grandchildren, fiances', boyfriends or girlfriends, as we do for ice cream, pizza, sports cars, or athletic teams! In addition, lustful intentions and desires have been attempted, simply by using the phrase, "I love you, and if you love me, then you will...." Or, when we want to tell someone exactly how we feel, even if it's hurtful, we can always say, "I'm only telling you this because I love you!" But, if you are looking for a simple definition of love, one that is so simple it is often overlooked, you will find it in 1 John 4:16. It says, "GOD IS LOVE". How much more simple can you get? First, consider this, "GOD is love". That means that everything embodied in God's Person is born of love. God Himself reveals Himself through His love for this world. But, consider it this way, "God IS love". That means that everything God is, does, and says is bathed in His love. When we think about His very character and nature, we have to say, it is all about love, because that's Who He is. Then, consider it this way, "God is LOVE". If you have a difficult time with that, read John 3:16. That single verse, unlike any other in the Bile, reveals the depth and the extent of the LOVE of God. And, if you still have difficulty, then read Romans 5:8, which tells us that "even while we were still in our sin, Jesus died for us". Now, that's love! So, when you are looking through those greeting cards, trying to find just the right one; and, when you purchase that chocolate, or those flowers, just remember, "love" is more than a word. Love is God, because GOD IS LOVE! It might just make your February take on a whole new meaning. God bless you. Jim Clayton |