Love Makes A Nation Great

February 14th has been set aside to observe love, mostly in our relationships with each other. For one day, husbands and wives scurry to find that perfect gift. Marriage proposals are the agenda of the day. A quick surface search revealed there are approximately 220,000 proposals for marriage on Valentine's Day (I always wonder how they come to these statistics. :-)

I woke up with a little token of love from my wife, who left it on my desk in my office. Needless to say, it put a big smile on my face because I knew she meant every word she wrote on the card.

This world and our country are so full of hate, and we see the fruit of its hate every day. There is seldom an act of love shown in the news networks where I live. Arguments, disagreements, and selfishness are always on display. What's really sickening is to see a report that our nation is becoming a Christian nation without any love being displayed by the leadership of the country.

Romans 13:10 - Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

I'm all for my country becoming a Christian nation, but it won't happen with a stroke of a pen or with fancy words from a teleprompt. It has to start in the hearts of leadership. 1 John 3:17-18 lets us know that talk is cheap:

But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. - 1 John 3:17-18

I remember my pastor and mentor, Dr. Evans Brown, Sr., saying, "We can make our mouth say anything." This is so true based on what I see today. We talk love, but talk is cheap. It costs us something to love. The price of love costs our pride, selfish agendas, and comfort zones, to name a few. But when we love, we become obedient in the eyes of God because we are fulfilling His commandments. Love makes a nation great, but there have to be some sacrifices. God will bless our country, but we must do it His way.

Matthew 22:35-40 (NKJV)

35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

My heavenly Father, please teach us how to love. Amen.