On Sunday one of the girls on my team received a proposal. Her man could have waited two days and made it oh so romantic with a Valentine’s Day proposal. Instead, he decided to end his sermon about loving like Christ loved the church, on one knee, with a profession of his love for her, and a proposal. Uh, score on real love there!
My daughter Kaitlyn posted this status on Facebook the other day
A guy becomes twice as attractive when he says he loves Jesus, 5 times more attractive when he’s worshipping God, 10 times more attractive when he knows his Bible, and 100 times more attractive when he’s praying over someone. It’s the truth!
It most definitely IS the truth! So why are so many women settling for what’s available instead of God’s best for them? Maybe one reason is because we haven’t tasted the “real” deal yet?
In counseling couples or single women, my counsel remains the same: Seek out an intimate love-relationship with Jesus Christ first, or you will always be seeking a type of love from your spouse, or soon-to-be spouse, that he cannot give you.
Simply put, God is love, literally! Seriously, look up the scripture God is Love, and it’s a noun. So, without God authentic love does not exist. We, on the other hand, are the verb. We can choose to act or not. God’s love is unconditional because God cannot stop being who He is anymore than you can stop being a human being.
When we have an intimate relationship with Christ, then real love is living inside us. We are able to love out of the overflow of God’s pure and undefiled love for us.
If we do not have a relationship like that with Christ, then what we are seeking and giving is a counterfeit love that never satisfies and always leave us wanting.
If you are married, a sure way to meet the love needs of your spouse is to make sure your relationship with Christ is so intimate that you love Him more than you love your spouse.
If you are single, a fail-safe way not to settle is for you is to first find that deep intimacy with God! Let the Lord hide your heart so deep in Him, that the man interested in you has to ask God for directions.
Side-note to the single ladies… let’s face it, God loves His godly sons out there as much as He loves His godly daughters, and He’s not going to let go of His best to a woman who isn’t ready to love Him the way God desires Him to be loved!
Apart from Christ it is impossible for us to purely love or receive love, so that makes everything else FAKE!
To my grumpy single ladies today… if you see all the “love-bird” gimmicks crowding the isles of the grocery store for this silly holiday, whisper to yourself – apart from Christ it’s not real love it’s fake! And give yourself the best Valentine gift ever – make a romantic spot for you and Christ tonight, and encounter what real love is!
To my frustrated married ladies… if Valentine’s Days fantasy never quite turns out like the chick flicks whisper to yourself – apart from Christ it’s not real love it’s fake! And do your spouse a favor and set apart some time to encounter a romantic moment with God. Let Him fill you up, so out of the overflow of His love you can love your spouse like he deserves!
In the spirit of the day… Happy Fake-Love Day To Ya!
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us… 1 John 4:16-17
bold words..im glad someone came out and said…my husband is taking me to dinner tonight first time in about 4 years so im pretty thankful
Hi Kim,
I hope you and your husband had a great night! Glad you enjoyed the post.
I LOVE this post and its a perfect message for today. Valentine’s Day can become so overrated and commercialized that we forget where love really came from and that we should celebrate love not just on Valentine’s Day but the other 364 days as well. Honestly, I find it more meaningful when love is celebrated and shown on days other than Valentine’s Day. I also loved your suggestion for us to seek Jesus for an intimate and romantic encounter so we can truly love whomever God will either bring to our life or has placed in our life.
Hi Jen,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Yeah, I think my hubby felt he got the best compliment today when I told him that the flowers are nice, but the fact that it’s not the only time of the year I get them is even better. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I’m behind on my reading, but thank you so much for this thoughtful post. I especially like it in conjunction with your transparency regarding the flowers. Your husband did show real love. I hate Valentine’s Day, and I believe even if I were in a loving and committed relationship, I would still despise a holiday that sets people’s expectations to the roof, and is exclusive to romantic love. I always imagine if I were in a relationship that we together would find people to love on on that day, (and every). This time around, I went out with a girlfriend and counseled her about a situation nearly the whole night. And, not one moment did my heart wish a handsome man was across the table. I was right where I was supposed to be with the right person at the right time.
Thank you for acknowledging the different aspects of a tough day, and keeping it real.
Hey, it’s easiest to write from a place of living than just making the stuff up! 🙂