February 2024: As we approach Valentine’s Day, our minds are filled with thoughts of romance. But – what is romance? The Oxford Language Dictionary defines it as, “the feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love” or “a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.” While excitement and mystery may seem attractive, remoteness definitely lacks some appeal. But what about love? As we look at the Bible, we realize that there should be very little mystery when it comes to the type of love (agape) that God desires us to display. This unconditional, sacrificial love is not supposed to be mysterious. Neither is it supposed to be remote. And to that end, the Bible is filled with qualities of this love that should be demonstrated. Of course, our minds return to 1 Corinthians 13. In that short chapter – we see what we should expect from love: patience; kindness; protection; sacrifice; selflessness; dependability; among other traits. Love is meant to be easily recognized. In fact, our memory verse for the month of February reinforced this. John 13:35 states, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” As believers, our love should be so obvious that it allows people to see it and associate us with Christ. This February, let us purpose to live a life of love that is not mysterious – difficult or impossible to understand or know. Instead, let us live a life of love that is obvious – demonstrating our faith in Christ and our care for each other.
