Just yesterday many were celebrating valentines day and shared with those whom they love, through various kinds of expressions. I was one of them that took the opportunity to express my love as well, and as I reflected on what this day meant to me, I realized that for me it was not just about sharing a gift, or saying I love you. Or putting on something red or buying something with red to give to my lover.
A few years ago the Lord showed me what genuine love looked like. And I want to share with you what God showed me at the time. This became apparent to me, that genuine love went beyond what a person did or did not do, said, or did not say. Genuine love happens by choice despite anything one did or said.
Let me take you to a bible verse from the book of Romans, which says,”But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV
Love is the greatest gift of all
Our model of genuine love for each other has to come from God’s model of love toward us. Love is a gift from God, and the above verse expresses what it looks like. God could have easily chosen to punish the whole world for their sins. But instead, God chose to do the opposite. To send His Son Jesus Christ to die for us. Jesus did not only die so that we could be saved. But He also died because God was expressing His love toward us.
And that is why John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God showed me that love chooses, and love expresses. However, what comes first is the choice than the expression as the result of that choice. Such love chooses to love the other person, regardless of what they do. And that is why the above scripture says, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
This means that when you truly love someone, it is seen when you are able to handle the right and wrong that they have done toward you, said about you, or whatever thing they have done that you did not like, and you knew about it.
Such love goes beyond how you feel about what they’ve done toward you, and chooses to express good toward that person because that’s what they deserve. To be Loved, despite their wrongs. You received yourself from God, and therefore you to can give it to the other person.
The next time you tell someone you love them. They will not feel it because you said it. But they can tell that you are being genuine because you don’t expect them to be perfect, you accept them as they are just as God did with us and that you are willing to overlook what they have done, and take them for who they are, without trying to even change them.
When this first is established, it determines what you give as an act of your love, and giving can come in many forms, it could be the way you treat them, what you do for them or something that you buy for them as a gift. Whatever it is, just know that it is influenced by the choice you have made. All this is done through conscious decision-making.
God gave you and me, Jesus Christ, as that expression of His love for us. And we both did not deserve it, but He did it because he saw us deserving of his love. Such love comes from the heart, inside your spirit and when you capture and practice it you will begin to see how fulfilled your relationships will be.
God bless!
