Often when we think of February, we think of Valentine's Day! When I was single, this day was a challenging one! I always felt left out when many women in my office got big bouquets of flowers, boxes of chocolates and big bunches of balloons. Now it's a special day for Ed and I - we got engaged on Valentine's Day.

But that's not the only reason I've come to see Valentine's Day as special. I've also come to see this secular holiday as a time to celebrate the source of love - our God. God calls us to love all people, all the time, even when it's hard and we don't want to.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love" (Eph. 3: 17)

Jill Briscoe in her article titled Established in Love says this, "Paul prayed that the Ephesian Christians would be strengthened internally. He prayed for might in their spirit. He asked God that Christ would so settle down in their hearts and lives that their hearts and lives would be settled down. He begged God that the young believers would put their roots downward and bear fruit upwards. He wanted the church to be grounded in love, for to be established in love is the Christian life.

Jesus said that there is not much merit in merely loving those who love you - even sinners do that (see Luke 6:32)! But when you begin to love people who don't love you and even get around to loving your enemies, then you are becoming established in love."

Jill goes on to talk about how this love comes from inside of us. We need to be fed well with the love of God, or we are starving! She says, "But as we make Christ at home in our hearts, He will constantly shed abroad His love, supplying us with the ability to love the "whole family" (Eph. 3:15).

If only Paul hadn't said that! If he had said that we were part of a family or that there were a couple of family members he would like us to try to get along with...but he didn't. He reminds us that we are part of the "whole family," a family that needs loving and that is going to take a whole lot more love than just mine."

We simply cannot love others well on our own - we need Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. Then the love comes from the inside out, spilling out onto the broken, beautiful people around us!

In Christ's ministry together ~ Pastor Caryn