From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
On this Valentine’s Day, a day to focus on love, I would like to share with you a terrific example of love in action that my family experienced.
During the Christmas break in 2020 my family found themselves in a time of quarantine due to my children testing positive for the Covid-19 virus.
Being housebound we were at the mercy of counting on others to do simple tasks for us, such as delivering groceries.
We still have three children living at home so there was definitely some work involved with this job.
As a pastor, I am used to being called upon to go and help others and seek to meet their needs as much as I can.
It can be somewhat humbling to realize that you need to rely on others for things you used to take for granted.
Members of our congregation really took seriously the mandate to put love in action.
A number of people showed up at our door with armloads of groceries to feed our family.
We were so blessed!
It reminded me of the words of 1 John 3:16-18, where it says, “By this we know love that He (Jesus) laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does Gods love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
There are many different Valentines’ cards in the stores that are available for purchase, full of romantic and flowery language aimed to convey our admiration for the one we love.
However, the Bible is clear that talk can be cheap unless there is subsequent action to back up the love that we promise in words.
Let me encourage you to keep the Valentine’s Day fire of love lit after this day is over by looking for ways to show your love for others in significant and tangible ways.
