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What a beautiful, sunny Valentine’s Day we have here in Michigan! Last night, we watched the movie, Sense and Sensibility, as a prelude to Valentime’s Day. It is a beautiful movie, filmed at the time of day when everything glows, and the soundtrack is beautiful. Shakespeare’s 116th sonnet is quoted in it, so I asked Tony to read it out.
He made a recording of that poem, and also included some love-inspired verses. Happy Valentime’s Day from the Fuller’s Four!
Today I wanted to encourage you: Love is an action word.
God is LOVE. He is Perfect Love, which casts our fear. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, made the way to connect with God once again, so we can be filled with His perfect love and the power that it brings. We are the ambassadors of Christ, doing what He would be doing if He were still here. We are the ministers of His grace, and He told us that we would be able to do even greater things that He did, because He has given us His Holy Spirit. (John 14:12)
“If you love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said. “Love God with all of your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (John 14:15; Matthew 22:37-40; Luke 6:31 NIV)
And that sounds like a lot of work, but when your heart leads you to the work, it isn’t hard. “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” Jesus was quoted in Acts 20:35, and if you have given something, then you know that’s true. We get energized when we do good for someone else. That is God’s right-here-and-now reward for the work.
“You are the light of the world,” Jesus said. “Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:14a,16)
Why would our good works glorify God? Because our actions show our true allegiance. Jesus told us that we would be known by our “fruit,” or our works. “Every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.” (Matthew 7:17)
Deception is thick over the world, like a filthy, webby blanket, blocking out the light, and entrapping poor souls in its folds. (And it’s so tricky–En garde! Put on the full armor of God!)
It is up to us to shine the light of God as a beacon. We aren’t saved just for ourselves, but so that we can go and show others the way to salvation. We do this through love, first loving God, then with the changed heart of compassion He give us, loving others.
How can we love others? Spend some time listening to others; watch for what they need, and you will think of ways. Every moment of your life can be gilded by God’s love. When we are in Christ, He is in us. We become One with Christ. He is the head, and we are His body. We begin to see things through His eyes. His love is the lens that reveals our next step. Listen for that still, small voice.
In practical terms, be loving to everyone you meet. Think of how they feel. Do little things to make their life more fun. Be grateful for things others do for you and thank them warmly (especially the cashier or the waitress!) Welcome friends with a hug, and strangers with a smile. Whenever you have the chance, tell people that you love them. (That is God speaking through your lips!)
Go incognito. Don’t tell others about your good deeds. Leave surprises for others to enjoy. Brings treats for everyone to share and leave them in the break room. Shovel someone’s sidewalk while they are at work, or if it’s warm enough, mow! Leave your quarter in the cart at Aldi. Send a card of true appreciation, and decide if you need to sign it or not. If you are on the receiving end of these kinds of gifts, what can you do but praise God for the kindness you have received?
Love wakes us up and makes us alive. God gave us life and sustains us moment by moment, and He is LOVE. Love keeps us alive. So go and show love to others. Tell them the truth in love. Be kind. Offer help to strangers. Stop for those who are struggling, and give them real help like the good Samaritan in Jesus’ story. Yes, it can get messy and time-consuming, but nothing in your life is more important than pleasing God, and when you do what Jesus would do if He was still here, then you are pleasing God.
Guard your hearts in these terrible days of revelation, for if you are walking around traumatized and wounded, how can you help others? “For it is a shame even to speak of those things that are done by them in secret.” (Ephesians 5:12)
The horrific things we are discovering have the ability to demoralize us. Limit your exposure. Read a summary. Don’t look at the pictures. Remember that we ALL need a Savior, and Jesus’ blood covers even the most terrible sins.
What you are seeing is the result of lives lived without God. Pray for the victims and pray for the perpetrators; often they are the same. Run to Jesus and hide your face in His white robes. Surround yourself with His righteousness. Know that He will not let this all go on forever. There is an end, and it may not be far away. And when it comes, the only safe place then will be under His wings.
“Do not be afraid of their faces,” God told Jeremiah when He called him as a prophet. And before that, God spoke to Joshua: “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
So walk as children of light! When Jesus saw how the religious leaders of his day led men astray because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God, he cried out in the temple: “He that believes in me, believes not in me, but in Him who sent me. And he that sees me sees Him who sent me. I am come as a light into the world, that whosoever believes on me should not abide in darkness. . . .I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:42 – 47)
Jesus came to show us the love of our Father God. His physical body is gone, but now, before He returns, our loving actions can show Jesus to those who are lost. “We love Him (God), because He first loved us.” “And if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (I John 4:19,11)
So don’t be discouraged by all the terrible things in the news on this beautiful Valentine’s Day; remember who you are and Whose you are. Walk as Children of Light! Put your mind on God, and start by thanking Him for the first thing you remember, and continue on from there, praising Him. He has the power to make everything that is wrong right in a moment. But for now He can start with your heart and spread outward in a wave of light, the light of God’s pure love.
Be encouraged my dear friends! One day we will be surrounded by the ones we love in a loving world that Jesus Christ has set right. For now, do what you can in your corner and think of all the little candles that God lights in all of us, all over the world! Be love in human form and don’t stop when this day is over. You life can show that the love of God is real and true, so don’t stop celebrating the never-ending love of God!
The Fullers Four 