Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day and in the cause of defining true love I offer I John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.


John continues with the appropriate response to this kind of love in vs. 17,18: If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

I still remember a statement about love from a religious ed. professor way back in seminary. He said that basically, biblical love is "action in the best interest of another PERIOD." The PERIOD is important in that unconditional love does not require that the object of love earn it!

As someone once said, true love is "unconquerable good will." Such is the case with God's love, which was demonstrated in God's ultimate "act" in our best interest, the death of Christ on the cross, and what a great time to thank Him for this ultimate love the best way possible...by loving Him (with our actions) and loving others (again, with our actions!).