The advertisers have gone full throttle in declaring that February is the “love month.” Red hearts, cupids, candy, romantic cards, and other Valentine paraphernalia abound as merchandisers hope to capitalize upon the notion that this is the month to express love. Does love have a shelf life? Is love not appropriate at other times of the year?
Tragically the “love” being merchandized is more sentimental than real. Real love couples emotions and attitudes with investments and actions. Many people talk about love without actually loving. Amy Carmichael captured how genuine love needs to behave when she wrote, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
Attitude plays a very important part in how you and I live. An attitude of love gives our work value. Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that even the most astounding works and amazing sacrifices, when devoid of the attitude of love, have diminished impact and “it profits me nothing.” Too often one’s attitude minimizes the impact of his efforts. To God, our attitude means as much as our activities.
During the earthly ministry of Christ, certain religious leaders stressed activity much more than attitude. They fulfilled religious activities, rituals, and obligations in compliance with the Law. However, they acted without an attitude of love for God or the people to whom God had them minister. Thus their activities became showcases of self-centeredness and self-promotion. They produced charitable deeds to be noticed by men (Matthew 6:1-4). They prayed so that people would observe them (Matthew 6:5-6). They engaged in religious exercises, like fasting, to be recognized (Matthew 6:16-18). They gave their funds so that they would be acknowledged (Luke 21:1-2). Christ called them hypocrites and their deeds hypocritical (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16). It appears, as one person put it, “God much prefers acts of love to acts of duty.”
Actions must be coupled with our attitudes too. Our lives cannot be filled with sterile emotion that does not give birth to meaningful action. Jesus consistently reminded his disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words” (John 14:15, 23, 24). There is a notion among some Christians that our emotion trumps our actions, suggesting that as long as I express love for God in some strong, emotional way, then how I live is of little consequence.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The beloved apostle, John, reminds Christ’s followers, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). John wants love to move beyond emotion-induced words to deeds that show our relationship with God. John concludes, “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence” (3:19 NIV).
Coupling an attitude of love with actions of love displays Christ-like character. Jesus demonstrated His love for us by laying down His life for us (1 John 3:16). If we are His followers, then we ought to express our attitude of love with Christ-like actions. John fleshed out the principle when he commanded, “We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (3:16-17).
May we connect our faith and feelings to the functions we describe as “Christian living.” Let us move beyond mere sentiment and sympathetic words to practical expressions of faith. Our world needs to see faith and love in action. They also need to see actions that are focused upon glorifying Christ rather than self-centeredness and self-promotion. As Chris Tiegreen wrote, “The kingdom of God is not primarily about fulfilling responsibilities. It is more about expressing gratitude and about being passionate for His glory.” The world around us will recognize Christians by their practical, personal expressions of love (John 13:35).
This month make it your goal to fuse attitudes and actions that reflect love that is genuine and reflects the love of God. Paul had this in mind when he reminded husbands that they were to love their wives like Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). He makes it clear that that meant more than a box of chocolates and a flowery card. It meant loving so much that a willing sacrifice was the norm not the exception. In this season promoted as the ‘month of love,” lets really love in both word and deed.
