First Heart

Look on the card isle in the Valentine's Day section and you’ll find numerous definitions of love.  Yes, we all like the warm fuzzies of holding hands with our sweetheart, smiles and hugs, coffee with a friend, cradling a baby, or watching children play. If we could only keep those warm fuzzies with us all the time!

The Love Chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, reveals a deeper love -- no less warm and fuzzy but more genuine and lasting.  The lovelies of love are mentioned first: patient, kind, protective, trustful, hopeful, enduring.  Then, of course, love is discredited by sin’s ugliness --  those not-so-lovely characteristics in our lives.  We are promptly called to a consciousness of what love is not. "It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." (5-6)  A country music singer once sang of the things he would "take away" as a gift of his love.  Psalm 51:17 tells us what God desires of us -- "a broken and contrite spirit;" a heart sacrificed, truly surrendered unto Godliness and His righteousness. Today is the day of love!  There will be millions upon millions of things given away today.  What more wonderful way to say "I Love You, Lord," than to give (surrender) our hearts to Christ.  After all, He gave His Heart first!