The Father's Menu

The Father's Menu

Apostle Dr. Richard Udoh

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

THE LOVE BEYOND VALENTINE

Everyday for 20 years Antonio wrote a love poem to his wife. At a divorce hearing, though he revealed that he didn’t compose the verses of the poem to celebrate the joys of marriage but to calm down his domineering wife. The judge granted the divorce and declared that the marriage had nothing more than a “look of love”. It is now a usual practice in some part of Nigeria to seek divorce. Virtually on the daily basis, you will read on the pages of some local newspaper couples in customary courts giving unimaginable reasons for seeking divorce with their partner, of course this has not exempted believers; love is fast fading away in our marriages.

Relationships among some Christians often undergo a similar kind of breakdown. Long-hidden resentment finally comes to surface as pretenses drop away. A spouse leaves after years of supposedly happy marriage, saying he/she is tired of putting up a good front and going through the motions.

In 1 John 3 we read that we are not to “Love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (v.18). Cain’s “love” for his brother, Abel covered a boiling jealousy that eventually broke forth in anger (v.12). And we all know the tragic end to that story (Gen. 4:8).

Whether in marriage or in our relationship with fellow believers, resentment and separation are sure to surface if love is insincere. Instead of presenting a “look of love” let’s take seriously the challenge to “let love be without hypocrisy (Rom. 12:9). However, we should not be quick to forget the natural law of sowing and reaping. There is no way you can be miserly with love and expect to be loved; the people around you need Christ love that is beyond the Valentine.

Prayer: May my love for you, dear Lord and others be pure.

Further Reading: 1 John 3: 10 – 18

Read through the Bible: II Samuel 13 & Philippians 2