Devotions
In times like these it is easy to doubt whether God loves humanity. It is easy to doubt whether God loves you. The logical mind is tempted to wonder how a loving God can stand by and do nothing when there is so much difficulty, so much heartache and so much confusion going on in the lives of people he created in his own image. Where is he when it hurts, why is he so quiet when calamity looms, why can’t he do something? These are the murmurings of the flesh because the flesh automatically rejects pain and discomfort.
Love. Perhaps no other topic in the universe has been talked about, sang about or bandied about as much as the topic of love. Some of us grew up believing that love was this breathless wonder, this overpowering emotion that can leave one breathless or set one’s heart racing uncontrollably. Such love is worldly and often fickle; like froth in a coffee cup it frequently loses air and goes flat.
February is here, and with it, the sounds and symbols of Valentine’s Day as millions prepare to celebrate love. But what is love? Is it the swooning feeling that comes over us when we see someone we are attracted to? Is it the chocolates, flowers, teddy bears and candy we exchange as a mark of undying devotion to one another? According to the apostle Paul, love goes so much deeper than this. Love means considering the needs of others first.
