Have I told you lately that I love you?

It's Valentine's Day. A day to remember the one you love, and the One who loves you..







There was an old pop song that came out decades ago called, “Have I told you lately that I love you?” Here is an exerpt:

“Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles that's what you do”

This morning in my devotional time, I thought about the words of Jesus commanding us to love. You know, let’s be honest, that’s a hard thing to do, isn’t it? Some people are just not “lovable”, or so it seems. Yet, Jesus clearly commands us to do it. We’re in a pickle then aren’t we? But, there is very good news just one more thought and scripture away!

You see, never does God or Jesus command anything in the Old or New Testament and then just sit back and watch us succeed or fail. Every single solitary time we are commanded to do something God will empower us to accomplish the directive. However, there is one enormously important detail in the equation that we need to keep paramount in our heart and mind. Let’s look at the Scripture that is immediately before the passage in John that commands us to love. It’s John Chapter 15. Look at verses 1-10. In them is our answer. In these passages, Jesus is directing us to abide in Him, just like we are branches and He is the vine. Verse 5 says:
“I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. That is strong language. Verse 8 says: ”Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples”. Remember from Galatians 5:22, what the first of the “fruits of the spirit” is? Love. Truly abiding in God enables His love to fill us, and we will have the ability to love even the “unlovable”. Even, if they don’t love you in return. How is this possible? Remember, God loves even the “unlovable”, and wants all to be saved into a loving relationship with Him. In fact, Jesus said that the way they (the world) will know that you are my disciples, is if you have love toward one another. You see, it is in times that we are doing the seemingly impossible (loving those who are “unlovable", for example) that God shines through us for the world to see. Loving nonbelievers, means we then have a desire to present them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order that they may be saved; because, like God himself, we don’t want to see anyone perish!

Additionally, remember the “first and great commandment”? (Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength- Matt. 22:37). Then follows the second commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

God is love. God invented love. God commands us to love. A loving God sent His beloved Son to Earth to die for us. A beloved Son who now sits at God’s right hand and intercedes for us. WHY? Love, that’s why.

Beloved, be assured that today you and I are loved far beyond human comprehension, by the Creator of the universe. I’ll close my entry today with words from Frederick Martin Lehman in the hymn “The Love of God", published in 1917:
“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.”

So, have you told Jesus lately, I love you?

Blessings,
George