What Does True Love Look Like?

Mosiac Cross. Artist Unknown. *

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.

John 3:16 NIV

Valentines Day snuck up on me. Suddenly it was here but I wasn’t prepared. Not even a card for my sweet husband. It turned out okay though because he forgot too.

Too often it seems we are too busy to take the time to show our love to others. (Guilty!) We use the word “love” loosely and without much thought. We love the beach. We love shrimp and grits. We love the cat. But what does true, authentic, unconditional, all-giving love for another person feel like? What does it look like to you? (Consider that word “unconditional”.)

I loved my momma dearly. (Have I mentioned that before?) In my experience, I’d say that only mommas and Jesus ever love us unconditionally. Yet, in this crazy world, it seems that we can’t always count on mommas.

Jesus?

Yes! We can count on Jesus! Jesus is love!

No matter our situation in this season of “red hearts” everywhere, know without a doubt that Jesus’ love is complete and totally unconditional! He loves us just as we are even on the days when all our uglies are hanging out. Unconditionally.

This week I challenge all of us to saturate ourselves in the love of Christ and allow His love to sink deep into our souls. Make it personal. Here are some ways we can do that.

· Pause, be still and quiet, and wallow in His amazing love.

· Spend time in His presence, put your head on His shoulder.

· Listen for His whispers.

· Imagine God’s Word is His love letter just to you and meditate on it.

Memorize these verses, internalize them so you always remember.

· Give Him thanksgiving and praise.

Trust His love for you, do not doubt it.

I will trust in your unfailing love.

Psalm 13:5 NLT

Know His love for you is endless, without bounds.

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds

Psalm 36:5 NLT

God sacrificed His own Son because He loved you so completely.

God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

You are a member of Christ’s family.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do and it gave him great pleasure.

Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT

Christ’s love for you is huge.

And may you have the power to understand…

how wide, how long, how high, how deep his love is.

Ephesians 3:18 NLT

You can depend on His love.

We know how much God loves us and we have put our trust in his love.

1 John 4:16 NLT

Know without a doubt that we are truly and deeply loved by Christ. Unconditionally!

Hugs and blessings,

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Dear Lord, on my bad days I often feel unloved and rejected. Please banish that feeling from my heart and replace it with the surety of Your constant and unconditional love. You love me so completely that you sacrificed Your life for me! What an amazing gift is that! Jesus, I praise and thank you for Your amazing love. You are all I need. Amen.

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*We found this mosaic cross at the Woolworth Walk Art Gallery in downtown Asheville. I wish I knew the name of the artist so I could give them credit. It hangs proudly in my office and I love it!