L-O-V-E

In chapel on Wednesday, Pastor Mark Van Valin spoke about God being love. He talked of how many people have a hard time understanding that God would make us if he was already complete in the trinity and so he explained it this way. God made us because He was full, not because he was lonely. Take for instance a young girl who has a child because she is lonely verses a married couple who is full of love and wants to expand that love into a family. God is full, like the couple is full. Then the Pastor went on to take about self-giving love verses self-serving love. Self-giving love is that of God, a love that gives to others, a full, complete love. Whereas Self-serving love is selfishness, ie me and you. Often we get caught up in ourselves during the day thinking about what I want, what I need, the many things I have to do today. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God tells us in this verse that even when we where still doing everything wrong and bad, he loved us, and continues to today. We are commanded to love as Christ loves us. To forgive as much as we need forgiving. To have mercy, grace.... We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. Today I encourage you to L-O-V-E the self-giving love of God, to do something for your neighbor that you would do for yourself, or would like to do for yourself.