LOVE 2020: WHAT YOU GIVE

Good Evening Friends!

I pray your weekend has been a fantastic one!

I have enjoyed mine

And, I just got done watching Super Bowl LIV with my sons

Outstanding job by the Kansas City Chiefs!

They have not been to the Super Bowl in fifty years;

However, tonight the walked away CHAMPIONS!

And it does tie into what I would like to share today – WHAT YOU GIVE

YOU SEE –

That team gave their all tonight  – the coaches, the QB and all the team members

And, no, they were not everyone’s favorite

But – at the end of the day – it matters not how much you are loved

IT MATTERS HOW MUCH YOU GIVE

Several weeks ago, I shared a quote from a Korean drama series that I had been watching – Chocolate. And, at the end of that series, a very interesting quote was shared:

‘The value of one’s life is in the love they give, not the love they receive’ – Epictetus

This quote spoke to me –

It spoke to me because we so often we get it wrong with our modern ideology

It is often believed that those who are most popular and those who are most loved are most valuable

However – that belief could not be farther from the truth

One need only delve into the Word to see a textbook example of how the opposite is true.

‘God so loved the world that He gave ….’ John 3:16

He gave because He loved

And, what did He give?

He gave His all – He gave His Son

Now – the value of Jesus was not assessed by the love He received

‘For He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering’ [Is. 53:1]

No – His value was evaluated in what He gave

And – what He gave was His life

The value of the LORD [in the estimation of man] is not in the love He received or receives,

But in the love He demonstrated; the love He so freely and generously gave & gives to us

And it has an impact on our capacity to love.

We love because He first loved us. [I John 4:19]

HOWEVER –

Even in this season of love – it can be one of the loneliest times of year;

For those who are single and even for some of those in relationships

SO –

As we journey through this season of love,

I would encourage you to keep an open mind and perspective.

Even if it is not a lonely season for you, it good to remember some basics of love:

Our value is not established in the number of people who love us –

Rather, it is evident in the love we are able to consistently share with those around us.

I pray you will embrace every opportunity which presents itself this week –

To demonstrate love to those around you

And, I pray you have a wonderful evening and blessed week

God Bless & Much Love