Valentine thought

Valentines Day is coming up and the world will talk about “love.” What is the best way to love? I think the biblical view of a certain type of love is the most honest and most desirable. It is agape.

Agape love is desiring that someone is blessed by God and acting upon that. Working toward the good of another. Notice there is no Valentine’s Day sentimentality to this kind of love. I want what God wants for you and I will try to do what I can to be an influence for that.

This doesn’t forbid me for being attracted and emotionally involved in that kind of love for Nancy (my sweetheart and wife), but agape goes way beyond emotion and attraction. I can give agape to a complete stranger. When Jesus says, “Love your enemies,” I can desire my enemies, whoever that may be, to be blessed by God in a way that more and more influences them to be who God wants them to be.

When someone says, “It’s hard to love that person,” I think what is really being said is, “It’s hard to feel good about that person.” That’s not agape. You don’t have to feel anything at all or you may have a burden against certain people, but as you work to treat him/her as precious in God’s sight, it’s interesting how God can work on your own heart. You work to bless someone in spite of who they are, not because of who they are.

Share agape with someone today!