How Do I Really Love?

This week marks the Day of Love, Valentines Day.
Since we are in a time of transition I don't have half my stuff with me, so what little decorating I may do won't be done this year. Working Man is not super crazy about the Hallmark holiday anyway.
 Every Day should be an excuse for a Valentine's Day with your spouse. You've heard that saying, "Don't wait for a special occasion to do things or use things, Every day is a special occasion." And it is so true. We are not guaranteed tomorrow:

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.

For what is your life?

Is it even a  vapour, that appeareth for a little time,

and then vanisheth away.

James 4:14

Every passing year I find myself more and more in love with Working Man. I was talking to a friend of mine the other week about being married and what it's like to be married. And I told her, "I thought I loved Working Man when we were engaged and first married, and I did. But it is nothing compared to how much I love him now. I never knew how much you could learn to love someone." I am so thankful for the blessing of the Man of God that I have. I'm undeserving but so grateful for him and the way he cares for me. And I want to be the best wife to him, to take care of him better than anyone else could. To know him better then anyone else does. And harder still, to be known best by him and cared for by him.

About a month ago, due to the snowstorm we had church was cancelled. So we went on sermon audio and chose one of our pastor's sermons from before we moved back up North. It was entitled Above All based upon I Peter 4:7-8. He was primarily talking of love toward the brethren but it was a challenge he gave that really convicted me.

Have you ever take I Corinthians 13:4-8 and used it as a self-evaluation? He suggested inserting your name every time the word charity is used or referred to as a test of how great your love is. Are you really loving? When I did this some of these attributed of love were weak in my life and that was really convicting.  

"___________ suffereth long, and ________ is kind;

____________ envieth not; ___________ vaunteth not itself(themselves),

(____________) is not puffed up, _____________ doth not behave itself(themselves) unseemly,

____________ seeketh not her own, _____________ is not easily provoked,

_____________ thinketh no evil; ___________ rejoiceth not in iniquity,

but ___________ rejoiceth in the truth;

__________ beareth all things,  __________ believeth all things,

____________ hopeth all things, ____________ endureth all things.

____________ never faileth:.."

 

And this isn't just applying to your spouse. This is love in general in our life, not directed to any certain relationship in our life but needed for all our relationships: your spouse, your children, your parents, your siblings, your church family,  your friends, your enemies, your neighbors, and the strangers you meet.

I Corinthians shows us what godly love looks like, how it personifies itself.  This Valentine's Day lets evaluate how well we really do love with godly love. How are you doing? How do you really love?

 

 

Credit for picture.