(From Valentine's Sunday 2015 at Faith Chapel, Coral Springs, Florida)
Valentine’s Day brings out the
best in everybody: Husbands, wives, fiancés, boyfriends and girlfriends. On
Valentine’s Day we all shower those that we love with gifts: flowers,
chocolates and so on. On Valentine’s Day we all put
our best foot forward and do our very best at showing the people we love, that we
love them. On Valentine’s Day we live and
love the way that we’re supposed to all year round.
I’m not going to put anybody
on the spot, but guys, when was the last time you brought your wife or
girlfriend a dozen roses or a box of chocolates, just because? Wives, when was
the last time you made a special dinner or breakfast in bed for your husband? You
see, we’re supposed to show our love, not just one day a year but consistently,
year round. As my grandmother used to say, “The proof is in the pudding”.
That reminds me of a story
about a little girl who was invited for dinner at the home of a friend. The
vegetable being served was broccoli and the friend’s mother asked if she liked
it. “Oh, yes,” the child replied politely, “I love broccoli!” But when
the bowl of broccoli was passed around, she declined to take any. The hostess
said, “I thought you said you loved
broccoli.” The girl replied sweetly, “Oh, yes ma’am, I do, but not enough to
actually eat it!”
How do you show your love on a consistent basis? So
often we love like that little girl loved broccoli: We love in theory, but when
it comes right down to it, we maintain a safe distance – we don’t want to lose
our macho and get all mushy. In the
words of the Apostle John, in 1 John
3:18, we love in word, but not in deed and truth. You see, the proof of our
love is in the pudding – the proof is manifested in our actions. What does your
love look like?
What does biblical love look
like? We know that our relationships in the family need to be marked by love.
Husbands, are to love their wives. But, wives, too, must love their husbands.
Parents and children, brothers and sisters, must love one another. But how do
we know what such a love looks like in everyday attire?
The Bible is our manual on how
to live and walk the Christian walk – and there is a...
