10 hours Ago By By Jonathan Rockey Faith
This week, Friday, February 14, is Valentine’s Day, which we celebrate as a day of ‘love.’ Valentine’s Day is named after a Christian leader and pastor from the 3rd century who ministered to persecuted Christians and who was martyred. St.
Valentine was buried in Rome on February 14. But, if you read my devotions last week, you might be asking yourself, “He’s not going to write about love again, is he? That’s what he wrote about last week!! Last week I did write about God’s call to love, and His love as the power to love others, based on the Epistle Lesson for the previous Sunday. That epistle was 1 Corinthians 13, which is also called ‘the love chapter.
However, after sending last week’s devotion I had a response from one of those who faithfully read my e-mails. Please read and consider the message I was sent. “The Surgeon General’s “Triad of Fulfillment” “In his final prescription for America, Dr.
Vivek Murthy delivers a profound truth: well-being is relational, not just personal. Backed by decades of research, Murthy outlines what he calls the Triad of Fulfillment—relationships, purpose, and service. Connection, he argues, is as vital to our health and longevity as diet, exercise, and sleep.
At the heart of the triad is love—not the fleeting sentimentality often associated with the word, but a commanding force with the power to build, strengthen, and heal. It’s the thread that weaves together communities capable of nurturing fulfillment and belonging. Love, extended not only to family and friends but also to colleagues, strangers, and even adversaries, is the foundation of the triad.
The Triad of Fulfillment Relationships: With whom can I connect more deeply? Service: What can I do to help others? Purpose: What gives my life meaning? When combined with the core virtues of love, kindness, grace, hope, generosity, and courage, these three elements create an ecosystem for meaning and belonging.” I read this quotation sent to me by my friend and I was moved by these thoughts. What struck me is that, if relationships lead to fulfillment, and if love holds our relationship together, think how important JESUS is to our lives.
Jesus is the source of love. Therefore, Jesus is also the source of fulfillment for our lives! Therefore, Jesus is the center of our lives! For example, John 3:16 teaches, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus is the source of love for the world, and for us! One of the verses I shared last week is John 13:34, where Jesus teaches, “love one another: just as I have loved you.
” We love others as Jesus loved us. Yes, Jesus is the source of love! Another verse of God’s word which I shared last week, speaks the truth of love in a way that amazes me. “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
” (1 John 4:10) True love begins with the sacrifice of our Lord for us. Love begins with Jesus. Jesus is the source of love.
Therefore, Jesus is the one who holds our lives together. Some might feel like such thinking is simply religious nonsense. Karl Marx suggested that “Religion is the opiate of the masses.
” Many people in our world do not want God in their lives. Many don’t want anyone who might ‘interfere’ with how they want to live. They don’t want Jesus as center.
But, the interference of Jesus is that He died on the cross. The interference of Jesus is that He forgives our sins which separate us from our Creator and our Heavenly Father. The interference of Jesus is that he saves us from death and judgment for everlasting life in heaven.
That kind of interference from Jesus brings love, and fulfillment, and meaning to our lives. Personally, I do want Jesus to interfere in my life with His eternal, sacrificial, saving love. Friday is Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love.
What does it mean to you that our love begins with and comes from Jesus? What does Jesus’ love mean as you seek to show love to another? For me, when I know what Jesus has done for me, His love helps me to love others, not just in words but in actions. He taught, “love one another: just as I have loved you.”.
