To the editor:
On Valentine’s Day people express their love. Jesus said, right before His return, “because evil shall abound the love of many shall wax cold.” Millions have showed no love for their unborn babies and aborted them. They also showed no love for the millions who wanted to adopt babies. We are seeing more of the opposite of love which is selfishness and hate. Most people whose life isn’t centered on Jesus become too self-centered to love anyone. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3 right before Jesus returns people will be lovers of their own selves. C.S. Lewis said, “Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin and decay. But look for Jesus and you will find him, and with him everything thrown in!”
Christians have the best understanding of love. C.S. Lewis said, “Nearly all the greatest love poetry in the world has been produced by Christians.” Love is best seen in the self-sacrificing love of Jesus on the cross to pay our sin debt. In the Christian sense love is an action not a feeling. God says if you love me you will keep my commandments. The most important commandment is,”…thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy might. (Deut. 6: 4, 5) Jesus said this is the first and great commandment. (Matt. 22: 37, 38) God demands love not because He needs it but because we need it. The more we love God/Jesus the more love flows through us to others. Love is more than talk. When you love someone you live it. Only by building your life and marriage on Jesus can you truly live happily ever after both now and forever!
There are best selling New Age books spreading lies saying because of God’s unconditional love everyone will go to heaven and we are all children of God. The Bible says we are children of God through faith in Jesus. Without Jesus in our lives we are enemies of God. Unconditional love isn’t the same as unconditional forgiveness. Forgiveness only comes from a saving relationship with Jesus and believing in His death, burial and resurrection. Call 1-888-need-him. John 17:4, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The more you know Jesus the more you want others to know Jesus. To tell others about Jesus shows more love for them than any other thing you could do for them.
Feelings don’t drive our relationship with Jesus or our spouse; faith and commitment do. C.S. Lewis said, “do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor (or spouse) act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.” That is why some say they feel more love for their pet than their family because they act more loving to their pet. No boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, same-sex partner or pet can meet your deepest needs. Only Jesus can give you real security, identity and purpose. Only Jesus can forgive your sin and make you a more giving, forgiving and loving person.
Psychologists say the feeling of being “in love” lasts on the average only two years. Love in the Christian sense doesn’t mean an emotion. Feelings come and go but ceasing to be “in love” shouldn’t mean ceasing to love. Christian love, either toward Jesus or toward others, is an act of the will. Jesus will give us feelings of love if he pleases. The thing to never forget is, though our feelings come and go, Jesus’ love for us doesn’t!

D.D. Nave
Elizabethton