Happy Valentines Day
from
Women's Focus Ministries
and
all of the writers
who write for
this ministry.
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This is Valentine's Day, a day devoted to celebrating love. We often think of it as a couples day, meant to celebrate romantic love. However, there are many who are not involved in a romantic relationship. But we are all involved in love relationships that have nothing to do with romance.
The first love relationship everyone has is with God. He created us and loved us while we were still in the womb. Christ loved us while we were yet sinners, dead in our trespasses, unable to rescue ourselves. His was a perfect love, sacrificing himself on the cross in our place, even though he had done absolutely nothing wrong. It is the greatest love on earth, given freely to every person. We are commanded to love him back in the first and greatest commandment, "Love the Lord, your God." Sometimes we might become angry with God, but He still lovingly forgives us and helps us through those tough times.
The next love relationship is with ourselves. Self-love sounds like the opposite of being humble. Loving ourselves may make us think of the negative qualities of egotism and narcissism. But there is a healthy meaning of self-love that includes supporting and caring for ourselves with compassion. It does not mean that we believe ourselves to be perfect or better than others. It means we accept our faults and imperfections but do not condemn ourselves for them, and are gentle and loving with ourselves in spite of our shortcomings. Sometimes we find this difficult for various reasons, but we can ask God for help in this relationship with ourselves.
The final love relationship we all experience is with the "neighbors" in our lives. We try to reflect God's love in our lives, first by loving and forgiving ourselves, then by loving and forgiving others just as we have been forgiven. This can be extremely difficult, especially if someone has hurt us deeply. But in forgiving them, we release ourselves from the emotional torment of holding a grudge. Praying to God for help in being willing to forgive can be a first step. Loving our neighbor is the second greatest commandment according to Christ.
Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the greatest gift of love of all time in the whole world - that of your Son's sacrifice on the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. Give us your Holy Spirit to grow our faith and to help us learn to love ourselves and our neighbors just as you love us. Forgive us when we mess up in our relationships with you, ourselves and others, and show us that you still love us no matter what! In Jesus' name, Amen.
written by Jan Andersen
There are many kinds of love and the effort of people who love is to be aware of the kinds of love that Jan wrote about and to make every attempt to love in a way that God breathed to Paul as he wrote 1 Corinthians 13.
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