LOVE THAT'S TRUE

By Dennis Harworth

    She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  It must be true that there really is such a thing as “love at first sight”.  All I could seem to do was stare at her.  A few months went by, when I got a heart shaped valentine from her which confirmed my deep emotions regarding her.  I knew it was true love because, after all, I was six years old.  However since I was too shy to even talk with her, our relationship remained right where it had started, nowhere. 

     A few years later, she sent her best friend to tell me that she didn’t like me anymore.  I was heartbroken and to make matters worse, since it was a small school with one classroom per grade, I had to see her every day until we graduated from the eighth grade.

    Obviously, it was not true love and I had no idea or clue at that young age what love was all about.  I did, however,  find true love years later when I received God’s love with a different sort of “Valentine”.  It is found in this very familiar life changing scripture:

    God loves you so deeply that He expressed it by giving you the absolutely, most precious gift of His only Son.  Since God did not spare even His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give you everything else (Romans 8:32, NLT)?

    God is love and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1John 4:16, NLT).  This love God cherishes for you and when you love others with it, His love becomes complete in you – perfect love! (1 John 4:12, MSG).  It is wonderful to have love on Valentine’s Day, but His love is so much greater than any human love you can experience.  It is love that is immeasurable, unconditional, and unfailing.  So go ahead and take a chance on this love because, God’s love really is a LOVE THAT’S TRUE.