Monthly Thought

February 2007

I wonder how many of us sent Valentine cards this year and how many of us received them, and from whom?

Some people send Valentine cards purely for fun, to 'pull the leg' of the one who receives them, to kid them into thinking that there is someone special who is a secret admirer. Others send them because they do have genuine feelings of love and admiration for someone and want their "Valentine" to know that they are loved and are special in the eyes of the sender. Which raises the question, How do we show real love to people?

The apostle John in his first letter wrote, "Dear friends,let us love one another, for love comes from God." 1 Jn.4:7. That might seem a good reason to send Valentine cards until we ask, what sort of love was John writing about?

The love that the apostle wrote of is a self-giving love. It involves a consuming passion for the well-being of others. A desire for the other persons betterment. Its source is in God himself who loves us so much that He gave his only Son, the Lord Jesus to die for us. The Lord himself said, "Love each other, as I have loved you" Jn.15:12, which could be written as, care for each other as I have cared for you, or even be willing to die for each other as I will die for you.

We should not ask, "what can I expect to receive from those I love?", but rather, "how can I live out Christ’s self-giving love in my daily life?"

Michael Dunn (mdunn3@tiscali.co.uk)