Christian Living
Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday February 15, 2011
The Lover's Great Day is history, at least for another year and we now can and perhaps should view "Valentine's Love" with a keen biblical eye rather than a jaundiced one. I am an incurable romantic, so much so that I literally shower the Great Blonde with assurance of my deepest love. Several years ago I discovered a Valentine's Day card that said exactly what I felt and feel towards her. That first year she read the card with a hint of a tear, and then placed the card into a drawer. Each year since, a few days before International Love Fest, I go to the drawer, dig out the card, note that nothing has changed, sign the card and present it to her yet again. I have thought for years that this act is a wonderful thing. I did notice again this year that the "hint of a tear" was less noticeable than last year's "hint." It may be time for change, or at her age she may be as Solomon said, "Tiring of love."
I really do need your prayers.
There seems to be several schools of thought among Christians concerning love and it is obvious to me that the other ones have no basis in scripture or reality. One school states that love is essentially about duty and the performance thereof. Another posits the idea that true love is much like Pagan love and is all about only the best and most beautiful. Still another reduces love to mere reproduction activity, and that bordering necromancy as it is not to be enjoyed but Stoically endured.
While talking over coffee with a friend I quoted Samuel Johnson on the subject of marriage and my coffee drinking friend went berserk with criticism of Johnson's statement. My friend, being a extreme KJV fan surprised me with his criticism of the giant of the English language and to whom most of us owe a deep debt as his contribution to the Mother Tongue enables us to actually read and grasp the KJV verbiage. He focused on one word in Johnson's statement and ranted that the man had no clue about true biblical marriage. Here is Johnson's statement:
"Happiness in marriage is not a matter of sentiment; it is a matter of knowledge, ideals and ethical controls."
My coffee drinking Brother in Christ mistook "sentiment" for biblical love. A glance at Webster cleared this up and probably a friendship: "1 a : an attitude, thought, or judgment permeated or prompted by feeling : a complex of emotion and idea."
The love that married couples are to have far exceeds mere "sentiment." True, men are to love their wife as Christ loved the church, we are commanded to dwell with them according to knowledge, share ideals for which we strive to achieve and certainly practice biblical ethics toward each other. There are numerous verses for each of these truths.
Yes; I do hope to get at least one more Valentine's Day from the "card."
Larry Lilly Copyright © 2011 Use with credit.
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