valentine's Greetings!

​My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:12-13
 
Valentine's Greetings! 
This is the month so many people do their best to share their love with one another in so many ways as we celebrate Valentine's Day. There is no greater feeling in the world than to be loved. Children experience love from their parents and learn as they grow up what it means to nurture and love another. When God blesses us to find that special person and fall “in love,” no expression can truly describe the joy they have found. True love is sometimes difficult to find in our world. Divorce rates are high, and the number of singles in our country is on the rise. But the power of love to transform and rejuvenate relationships is illustrated through many passages within the Bible. 

Yet, let me just take a moment to remind you of the amazing love of our Lord Jesus Christ whose example of true and perfect love should be held up for all to see. 

Jesus was clearly saying in the above scripture that our love towards one another as the family of God should not be dictated by "feelings" because you cannot give a commandment to feel a certain way. Yet, this love He wants us to have is a choice that we make in our hearts to love one another even as He loved us! 

I want to encourage you during this time of year and special celebration of love, to take a little extra time to appreciate and love the family of God. 

We live in a world in which actions are only determined by the feelings of the moment. If a person feels in love, they do all they can to bless that person who loves them. Yet, so often when the emotions are not what they once were, their level of commitment to that person takes a direct hit. 

We cannot go through this life without being offended, and often our offense arises out of unmet expectations, yet these are the times our love is tested! I encourage you today to pass the test, and love one another not only in the times of harmony and agreement, but also in those challenging moments when it is difficult to do so! 

In Christ's Love,
Pastor Deborah