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Love

Having a deep personal attachment and affection for another person.

Devotional Thought

Read Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-45.

Jesus had a very special love for Mary, Martha and Lazerus. The verses above give us some insight into their relationship. Mary was often described as a "worshipper" while Martha was a "worker." When Lazerus died, Jesus weeps. We see Mary's and Martha's unique personalities emerge in response to his death. In spite of their differences, we see that Jesus loved them equally. Whether you be a worshipper or a worker, Jesus loves you.

Few sights evoke as much attention and awe as that of a large flock of Canadian geese winging their way in a V-formation. What many don't know is that when a goose becomes ill or wounded, it never falls from formation alone. Two other geese also drop out of formation and follow the ailing goose to the ground. One of them is usually the mate of the wounded bird, since geese mate for life and are extremely loyal to their mates. Once on the ground, the healthy birds help protect him and care for him as much as possible, even to the point of throwing themselves between the weakened bird and possible danger. They stay with him until he is either able to fly again or dies. Their love for one another is commendable.

Real love comes from God who is love. Romans 5:8 tells us that God demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This type of love is difficult to comprehend. Jesus also commanded us to love one another. Love has the power to believe in someone and to draw out the best in them. I believe love lived out is being "other" oriented as defined in Philippians 2:3-4. How do we love in a practical way? Here's one way…

Our family has learned greatly from Gary Chapman's book, Five Languages of Love. He states that one of the keys to successfully loving people is to understand one another's primary love language. The five love languages include: (1) words of affirmation, (2) gifts, (3) acts of service, (4) quality time and (5) physical touch. Each person has one love language which means more to him/her than all the others. You may appreciate them all, but one will speak to you more deeply. If you can determine the love languages for each person, it will help draw out deeper and more meaningful conversations. It will also solidify your love for one another.