'The Gift of Perfect Love'
Inspiration
(Pastor James Scarborough, Donalsonville Assembly of God)

If you have been in any stores since Christmas, you have probably seen a wide array of gifts designed to be given as expressions of love. We need to be careful not to forget that love cannot be coated with chocolate, wrapped in a box, poured into a bottle or displayed in a vase. While it is certainly in order to give expressions of our affection to those we love, if genuine love is not flowing from the heart, even the most beautiful and expensive gift is merely an empty object. (Now men, don't misunderstand me. I am not giving you permission not to give your wife a gift for Valentine's Day--if you are smart and value life, you had better have something for her. But of greater importance, make sure that whatever gift that you give comes from a heart filled with genuine love. Ephesians 5:25 makes a strong statement in this regard: "Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for Her" (NIV). That is a powerful bit of instruction that we cannot afford to neglect!)

I am glad that God's gift of perfect love, extended to humankind through the Person of Jesus Christ, came from His perfect heart of love for a people who were so unworthy. Romans 6:23 gives a clear reminder of the power of this gift: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (NIV).

With Easter coming early this year (March 23), Valentine's Day falls within the period in which we remember the temptation and suffering of Christ. As we give tangible gifts to those that we love, we need to also consider what we can give to Christ as an expression of our love for Him. We would all do well to give Him more of our time, and perhaps we should use our talents and abilities to a greater degree for Him, and it could be that we could even give more financially into His work. Maybe we should also consider some things that we need to give up as an act of devotion to Him. Perhaps there are things that we are doing that we know displeases Him--we should certainly give those up without delay. And there might be some things in our lives that are not necessarily labeled as sin, but they consume attention and affection that could better be used for God's service. In light of what He has done for us, laying aside such things would hardly even qualify to be considered as a sacrifice by us.

We must never forget that Christ left what was rightfully His--the perfection of Heaven to come to an imperfect world filled with imperfect people. He lived His perfect life here on earth and laid it down in payment for the sins of all humanity. Now we have the opportunity to experience God's love on a personal level by accepting what Christ did for us. As Romans 5:8 states, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." That is the gift of perfect love, and you can receive it today through personal faith in Jesus Christ.