Valentines

            Valentine's Day always prompted me to recall the bag of 50 valentines for a buck that my Mother would purchase so I could pass them out during a party at school. We did it almost every year that I can remember, especially in the elementary school. Our one room school only had about 20 students in the first four grades so one bag of valentines would cover everyone. Then, in my fourth grade, we went to the big consolidated school and my class jumped from 4 to about twenty-five. I still had plenty of valentines to go around. I seemed to always have a couple of girls that would get the more special valentines in the bag. There were usually a couple of bigger ones with more mushy words. It was also a time for heart shaped candies of one sort or another which we ate readily. At two in the afternoon, we would eat almost anything. This began our journey into the area of love which was centered more on the feelings of attraction between young boys and girls. Things would eventually change, however, as I became more acquainted with the Biblical definition of love. One of the most important definitions was given to me by Pastor Randal Kochersperger who was the senior pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He said, “Love is, righteous acts to meet the needs of another.” John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

             After years of heart shaped candies, Valentines, Hollywood gossip and the National Enquirer, I find out that love is not the warm fuzzies but a righteous act to meet the needs of another. When you think of the greatest need, salvation, and the greatest act, the curcifixion and resurrection, you see the picture in front of you. You and me have the need and the Lord Jesus Christ did the righteous act by dying for our sin. He paid the price for all of it. Now, what does that mean to me today and how can I truly love someone else. The above verse shows how God loved and still loves us by sending His Son to die on the cross that we might have eternal life, but how do we manifest this love to others today. The answer is the same. It is the righteous acts that we can do for someone else. All we have to do is to take the blinders off for a moment and look around at our neighbors next door or even a family member. My children are showing many righeous acts toward us these days. In doing some paperswork for the Veteran's Administration, we found out that my wife and I were transported to 43 different doctor's visits during the past year. That alone is 43 righteous acts to meet the needs of another. Perhaps you can cheer someone up by baking an extra loaf of bread or sharing a meal with someone or giving a ride to someone who needs it. The sad thing is we often go into our homes, lock the dead bolt and forget what's going on right around us because we don't see it. Agape love is the sacrificial love which is characterized by the righteous act to meet the needs of someone else. John 3;16 is the pinnacle of love shown by God Himself in meeting our needs. How great is that? Praise God today bor His righteous act to meet your needs and my needs.