Living In Love

O

ne evening on my way home from work, I ducked into one of the local supermarkets to buy some shampoo and some bar soap.  As soon as I entered the parking lot, I knew that my visit would be a long one.  The lot was full, with all the spaces near the entrance taken and the only one’s remaining were located near the back of the lot, at least five miles from the door.  “Why” I thought “were so many people buying groceries at 9:30 in the evening?”  Then I thought that the store might be having some sort of promotional, you know, a boy-one-get-one-free sort of thing.  This thought excited me and I picked up my pace as I crossed the parking lot.

As soon as I entered the store, however, all thoughts about a sale went out the window.  The main attraction at the store last night proved to be paraphernalia for Valentine’s Day!  There were people in line with cards, candy, balloons, and stuffed animals.  Everywhere I looked, the store had erected some kind of display dedicated to Valentine’s Day, and urging people not to forget to tell the special people in their lives how much they loved them.  By the looks of the long lines, several people had forgotten to express their love and were quickly buying all kinds of tokens as proofs of their love and devotion for someone. 

I went straight to the shampoo aisle, made my selection, and joined the long line of others waiting to check out at the cash register.  As I stood there, I couldn’t help but notice how much people were spending on candy and other items.  Everywhere, people were talking about Valentine’s Day and how they had to buy a card, a flower, some candy, or all three.  The look on their faces was anything but loving as they grew impatient with the long lines.  Honestly, some of them looked as if they were on their way to an execution!  They looked more perturbed and disgusted with the holiday rather than excited and enthusiastic.

As the line continued to inch forward, I began thinking about love from God’s perspective.  God reveals His love to us daily, not just once a year.  In fact, what God wants us to know and learn about love is simply this:  Love is a lifestyle.  It is not something we do once a year.  It is not something we go to a store to buy.  And it is definitely not something that puts us under obligation.  God never intended for us to do things out of obligation.  Instead we are to do them out of love, out of a genuine concern and care for God and for those around us.

The Apostle John puts this very nicely in his first epistle, or letter.  1 John 4:16 tells us that “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”  Notice the relationship that John establishes between love and God.  He says that if we live in love then God lives in us and we live in Him.  If we don’t love others then we are not living in God and God is not living in us.  In other words, we must change our lifestyles.   Love must be something we do every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every year! 

The proof of our love will be evident in our actions towards others.  Love is hard at times and it is costly.  We must constantly give of ourselves if we are to love other people.  God modeled this for us by giving His son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins.  Jesus, himself said that there was no greater love than someone giving their life for a friend.  The proof of love is in giving. It does not come in the form of a card, or flowers, or candy.  It comes in the form of a person, Jesus Christ.  Is his love evident in you? Are you living in love today?