The mission of our church is SOULS - Salvation, Ongoing Development, Uplifting Conversation, Love Never Fails, and Serve in Love. Our Vision is to live these principles out in each of these areas: Jerusalem - close family & best friends, Judea - co-workers, acquaintances, & those with our similar interests, Samaria - underserved people groups (homeless, military, single parents, etc.), and the Uttermost Parts of the World - people we do not know, the mission field in far-off parts of the world or locally.
As we show love in the month of February, it may be easy to share love with those in the last group - give to a foreign charity, never see who is being helped, nothing to lose. It may feel a bit more difficult to show love to those closer to home. I encourage you to make the effort! Jesus said in John that people would know that we belong to Christ based on the love we demonstrate one to another.
Before you attempt to justify your inaction by the statement, "I'm not going to do anything for show!", consider that this statement (John 13:34-35) was a commandment of Jesus. He tells us to show off our love for each other. We claim to live out our Christian faith in front of unbelievers - love is the ultimate display!
A few suggestions for sharing love with each group:
Jerusalem - do a chore for someone in your house, write a card/note for your loved one to find, visit/call a loved one, give a foot rub
Judea - prepare/send a meal for a friend, babysit for stressed-out parents, take a friend out for coffee
Samaria - take flowers to a nursing home, write a thank you note to first responders (police, fire, EMS), "adopt" a widow/widower for Valentine's Day
Uttermost Parts - pay for the person behind you at a drive-thru, become a mentor at a school, send a Gideon card
These are just a few in an endless supply of options. Stretch yourself a little - move beyond your comfort zone. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to opportunities to share love that you may not have noticed.
