[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Let’s talk about LOVE! It’s Valentine’s Day, of course, what else would we be talking about? But more than just because it’s the day everyone talks about love (which might be annoying at this moment depending on what your relationship status is right now) I want to talk about love because I think it answers the biggest questions of life.

We seem to be looking for love everywhere, but here’s the thing.  You already have it.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom 8:38

God loves you, it’s settled.  There’s nothing you can do to stop it.  If you aren’t convinced read more of His word, get to know His Son.  There is absolutely no denying it.

Now for those hard questions: What is this life all about? Why am I here? Do I have a purpose? What happens after this? Those are a few of the big ones right? I think love answers all of these.

Here’s the answer in the simplest way I can say it:  You were created by love, your job here is to love, and you can spend eternity with God because of love!

Let’s dive in.

You were created by love…

The bible tells us God is love. 1 John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love, does not know God, because God is love.” 

 It’s not just God shows love, or God is loving. God IS love. It’s His nature. It’s who He is.

You were made in His image. Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female, He created them.”

I love how this is written three ways here, just in case we didn’t get it the first time. The writer wants to be very clear: We are all created by God in His image.

God is love, you were created by Him; therefore, you were created by love! You are here because God’s love is so great that like the good Father that He is, He created you, He wants life with you.

ALSO He wants you to love Him back with everything that is within you.

(By the way, if you’re a parent you might relate to this. We create our children because of love, and there is nothing we want more than for them to love us back, right?)

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Which leads us to this; you were created for love…

Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment,” and he replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matt. 22:37-40

If you’re trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do in life, there you go….Love God and love others.  Do that first. That’s the fencepost. Everything else hangs on those two things.

We love others not because of what they do, their status in life, or what they can do for us; we love others because every single person you meet is an image-bearer of God. “We love because God first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Okay, I need to tell you one last thing about love, you were not just created by love, for love. Your eternity is set, your future is secure because of love. 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

And 1 John 3:16 says, ^“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

The greatest demonstration of love the world has ever seen is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He came, he died, he was buried, he was raised so that you might be with Him and the Father forever!

I hope you understand how much you are loved, not just today, but every day! Anytime you doubt it.  Just pick up God’s word, or pull out your phone and search verses about love, and read all of them until you start believing it!

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I’ll leave you with 1 John 4:7-21 I think John sums all of this up beautifully.

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”

Korie Robertson is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who is passionate about motherhood. Korie (K-Swaggy) is a mom to Sadie — and five other amazing kids. In her free time, you’ll find her playing tennis, drinking coffee and spending time with her kids and grand babies.

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