Thursday, January 31, 2008

Happy February!


Since this is February, I have been thinking about love. Yes, that’s right – LOVE! We have just finished a book for our devotions called “Heroic Faith: How to live a life of extreme devotion” and the last chapter was about love – heroic, self-sacrificing love.

Well, I think we home schooling moms certainly love our children (or we wouldn’t be doing this) and often make personal sacrifices for our children. Sometimes the chaos of life and home schooling, might “muck it up” as far as being able to clearly see and demonstrate our love for our children, but I have no doubt about that love. Loving our children is probably the easiest self-sacrificing kind of love we have.

I know that we all love our Lord, but do we really demonstrate that on a daily basis? Do we sacrifice personally to show Him how much we love Him? This is possibly a little harder because He often seems intangible to us. We can’t hug Him or kiss Him physically (like we can our children or spouses). So how can we demonstrate our love for Him? Spending time with Him, talking to Him, sharing about Him and sharing His love with others, just for starters.

Well, that’s another category completely – loving others. Are we willing to lay down our lives for others? To tell them the good news of Jesus? Do we love our neighbor enough to sacrifice our time and humble ourselves to share with them about Jesus? “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.” John 15:13 Do we love sacrificially? Do we love others enough to bake some heart shaped cookies and stop by their house and tell them that you just wanted to share about the greatest Valentine’s gift of all? The greatest love-gift of all?

Forgiveness is also sacrificially loving. Is there anyone you are still holding something against? February is a great time to love by forgiving. Release yourself and that other person from the prison of resentment, and free yourself and them to love and walk wholly, and holy, before God.

Take a little time this month to think about love and He who is Love. Then DO some loving of others by showing them you care. Hug your kids a few extra times, kiss your hubby every day, show someone who doesn’t know Jesus the way to eternal life through your acts, AND words, of loving kindness.

2 comments:

Scribbit said...

You're right--love is an action word is it not?

Anonymous said...

I am learning about that connection between sacrifice and love and also how forgiveness overcomes resentment, too.