V-day (Not to be confused with D-day)

I can only show love to the measure of which I have been loved or have seen others loved. I mean its Valentines Day right, the season of either perpetual love or depressing lonliness (and this is mostly girls, for guys its just a slightly more expensive day than any other of the year.) But here we are in a world filled with hate, war, disease and death and yet we recognize and dedicate one entire day to the word "love." I think that is huge! So, what is it other than just a word. What does it look like? Here is what I think. In the end of Corinthians 12 Paul is talking all about the body and its many parts and gifts and....you know the story. He is naming gifts and then in verse 31 he says, "But strive for the greater gifts and I will show you still a more excellent way." In Chapter 13 in verses 1-3 Paul pretty much says that you can strive for any gift you want, you can think somebody else has a greater gift and you can envy that one and forsake yours, you can have any gift you want, but if you don't have love you don't have! The absence of love voids these gifts of their potential. Speaking becomes dissonant noise, knowledge is useless and faith means nothing. All our empty giving and serving and sacrificing is nothing without love because its not giving and serving and sacrificing that changes people, its pure, unadulterated love. Who cares what I am good at...do I use my gifts as a chance to be patient with others, kind to others, protect others, hope for others, persevere with others or am I rude, proud, self-seeking and easily angered towards others.
If I can only show love to the measure of which I have seen it shown, then I have a lot of love to show. My model is one who "Lavished" his love on me, so that I could in turn lavish it on others. This kind of love is costly. Deidrick Bonehoffer once said, "The power of the cross proves that suffering love can vanquish evil." Not to show people the all-satisfying God is not to love them. And to show them this God is to love them the way that Christ loved us, unashamedly, unreservedly, a placing self aside type of love. John Piper said, "Untold numbers of professing Christians waste their lives trying to escape the cost of love. They do not see that it is always worth it." I think the ultimate Valentines day would be marked by finding the person you have the hardest time loving and pouring out love on them, no questions asked. "We love because he FIRST LOVED us." He loved us before we did anything to derserve it. We are to love others before they do anything to deserve it. That is costly love