The Love in Need

Scriptures: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6)

A little boy received a birthday gift. It was a toy racing car, with remote control. He was excited to have this gift. He played it all night. The next morning, he “drove” this toy car to breakfast. After breakfast, he continued to play till lunch, dinner, and bedtime. Then, he continued to play this toy car the next day, and the day after, and the day after, and so on.

After a couple of weeks, this car started to slow down. But the little boy didn’t care. He continued to play this favorite toy of his. After another week, this toy car stopped. It didn’t matter how he tried, the car just wouldn’t move. So he went to his father for help. His father told him it was the batteries that died. All that he needed to do was to replace the batteries. So the boy realized that the power of the toy car he had came from batteries.

In many ways, we are very much like that toy car of that little boy. Recently, I have had several opportunities to talk to a few brothers and sisters regarding marital and relationship problems and issues. I found one common theme in all the conversations was that the greatest expectation for people to enter into a relationship, especially something as significant as a marriage, is to be loved.

One of them told us that, coming from a broken family, she thought marrying a Christian man would bring her the love and happiness she always longed for. But she found out that her husband was too serious to even take her out for a dinner or a movie. As much as she tried to talk to her husband, he continued his own way. In another case, the couple got tangled with in-law problems and, with that third-party involvement, their marriage quickly turned from sweet to sour. The expectations quickly became disappointments and the longing for love became bitterness.

Some of them came to church and found the love of Christ and were strengthened and became blessings to their marriages and families. Some became skeptical of such thing called “love” and found it difficult to trust anyone who tried to help. Worse yet, they became skeptical of the love of God. Their hearts were filled with bitterness and hopelessness. On the one hand, they longed to be loved and, yet, they found it hard to trust anyone for fear of getting hurt or disappointed. I wonder how we, as children of God, can help.

We know that, as humans, we were created in God’s image. We were created with the desire to be loved and with the ability to love. In my conversations with these brothers and sisters, I found that somewhere this important part of living was left out. Either we fail to see the needs of love or we fail to respond to the acts of love. The resulting agony and void created in other people were often so great that they allowed the fillings of bitterness and the exclusion of hope.

Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the church in Galatia, reminded us that “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6) Yes, love was that missing ingredient. In Christ, the only way to express our faith is through love. It was this love of God that brought us His salvation. It was this same love the compelled us forward to acknowledge our sins and to accept Jesus our Lord and Savior. This very same love demands us to reach out in faith to those in need of love. Without this love of God, just like that toy car without batteries, we would not be able to go anywhere or to do anything, just as Jesus said, “…apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Prayer Requests:
For those struggling in marital problems

Prayer:
Father, thank You for loving us with Your only begotten Son, Jesus. Help us to respond to Your love by sharing with others Your unconditional love for everyone. Bless us with Your wisdom and comfort so we can be Your hands and feet in reaching out to those in need. In the loving name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray, Amen!