February 2016

Here we are in February. Normally I like to list the various off center special days that can be found in different months. However, in February, especially in 2016, there are two days in this month that garner a lot of press. One, of course, is Valentine’s Day and the other is the 29th which indicates that this is a leap year, something that only happens every four years. Valentine’s Day naturally has our thoughts turn toward love. Some marvel that their significant other finds something in us to love. Maybe that is only me because I am one of those guys who married up. 
This love thing can be a tricky thing insofar as effectively communicating it. Many times we think that our love for our spouse is obvious, and we adopt the philosophy of the old geezer who responded to his wife’s complaint that he never told her he loved her with the words “Look, I told you I loved you the day we got married forty years ago. If I ever change my mind, you will be the first to know.” Now that guy needed some marriage counseling. Truthfully, we never tire of hearing “I love you” when we know the person saying it means it and is someone important to us. 
In His letter to the seven churches of Asia, Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for their work, patient endurance, and for their tolerance of those who were evil. Yet He also said, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev 2:4). For all the positive evidence of their faith and zeal, the ardor of their love for Christ had faded. The challenges of daily activity, even activity in the church, can cause our love to not burn as bright as it did when we first came into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let us strive each day to tell Jesus that we love Him. Not only worship Him and yield to His authority in our lives but tell Him that we love Him. 
Speaking of love, love for Christ and love for our significant others, let us remember that many people have no concept of what it means to be loved without reservation. Let us this month do our best to demonstrate the love of Christ to those who have never felt loved. 

Blessings, 
Vic