It's Never Too Late

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul

and with all your mind and with all your strength.

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:30-31

Happy Valentine’s Day! As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, let us reflect on the mutual love we share with God as we live in faith. God’s unconditional love for us and our intentioned mutual love for God in the New Testament is “agape" (in the Greek = ἀγάπη). Agape is unconditional, and it is selfless.  MLK, Jr. described agape like this in a speech to the National Council of Churches in 1957 as he advocated for basic human rights: agape is “ … purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless, and creative. It is the love of God operating in the human heart.” Jesus came to us, suffered, died and rose again to bring this kind of love to our hearts to share with the world. He modeled agape in his actions for us so we might model it for others.

How are you sharing God’s love around you in these challenging days? It is never too late to give or to receive Agape. It’s never too late to be kind. It’s never too late to be merciful. How is the love of God operating in your heart these days? Now more than ever Jesus followers are needed to enact Jesus’ command in Mark 12 which summed up all the commandments: Love God. Love your neighbor. These aren’t just trite words. This is a way of life that we commit to when we follow Jesus. As we seek God’s wisdom this February, may we look for opportunities to speak up for love. And not just any love. Agape. To learn more about biblical agape, check out this short word study video: The Bible Project

Pastor Andrea