The Month Of Love

We love because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

February is sometimes called the month of love.  What better time to challenge ourselves, as we look at and evaluate how well we are doing at expressing our love to God and to others.  1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.”  It is mind blowing to think that the Creator of the world chose us and loved us before we loved Him back.  What a model for selfless and generous love in our own lives!  Jesus also tells us in Luke 10:27, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

We can love God by spending time with Him reading our Bibles, praying and by praising Him in song.  We can express our love to Him by keeping His commands and by loving our fellow man.  We can live our lives as worship to God, therefore expressing our love to Him.  God is love and it just feels so completely right to love Him in return.  Loving our fellow man… can be a completely different story. 

We are instructed to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Overlooking our own flaws and shortcomings is much easier than overlooking the flaws and shortcomings of others.  People sin and are not perfect like God.  This can make loving others hard at times.  With the help of God’s Holy Spirit living within us, we can do all things!  So, how can we do a better job of loving others during this month of love?  First, I would encourage you to be intentional.  If you do not strive for something, you usually don’t accomplish much.  Maybe you want to strive to express love to someone different each day of this love month.  Maybe you want to focus on your spouse and express your love to them each day of this month.  Maybe you want to better have your children feel loved and so you put your focus there.  Maybe you want to bless a stranger each day this month, unnoticed.  The possibilities are limitless.  Let us get started today and love this month to its fullest!

Loving others may not come naturally to you.  I want to throw out some random ideas of ways to be a love blessing to others this month.  Once you get started, it will get easier each day.  Here we go:

1. Speak kindly (especially when wronged)
2. Forgive someone (and tell them)
3. Hug someone and don’t be the first one to let go
4. Leave your quarter in the buggy at Aldi
5. Pick a flower for someone
6. Leave a sweet note or word of encouragement on someone’s windshield
7. Let someone in during traffic time
8. Listen more than you talk
9. Leave someone some chocolate on their desk
10. Do someone else’s chore (dishes, laundry, etc.)
11. Make someone’s bed
12. Let someone else control the remote for a night with no complaining
13. Call your mom
14. Text your spouse during the day to say how much you love them
15. Help a single mom with a bill
16. Take someone a drink from Sonic
17. Offer to cook dinner
18. Pay for the person’s order behind you and drive off
19. Take a walk with someone and leave your phone at home
20. Pray for someone then text them to let them know
21. Tell someone a joke
22. Let someone in your past know how much they meant in your life
23. Take someone cookies
24. Speak to your neighbors instead of just waving
25. Say “Good Morning” and smile to every person you pass one morning
26. Wave and smile at someone sitting outside on their porch
27. Truly listen to your children without looking at your phone
28. Play board games with your family
29. Do a chore for an elderly person
30. Take your children with you to donate food to the Food Bank
31. Go to church with your family and sing and worship and give together
32. Send a card to someone who doesn’t get out much
33. Offer to rake someone’s leaves
34. Leave a note of thanks in your mailbox for the carrier
35. Invite someone to church
36. Lay with your child at bedtime and talk, laugh and pray together, really be present
37. Run an errand for someone
38. Take the time to complete the Sunday online Bible lesson with your child

Enjoy this month of love and being intentional as we Love God and Love People.

Faith Builders in the Home, you can start here: 

Resources

For a complete Bible story worship experience with your child, please go to ministrygrid.lifeway.com and create or log in to your free account.  Then follow this link for this week’s lesson: Solomon Built the Temple.