Then Jesus told them ... "The time of judgment for the world has come, when the prince of this world will be cast out. And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this to indicate how he was going to die. (John 12:30-33)

Some go into great detail trying to describe the meaning of God's love by talking about the different words for love in the Greek language. However, God made his love for us clear so that we don't have to know a foreign language or how to use a lexicon. God's love is clear in any language when the story of Jesus is told. In fact, the words for love don't define God's deep concern and compassion for us, his Son's life and death demonstrate that love!

God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

So we sit in between the over-commercialized yearly celebration of called Valentine's Day and the release of the movie The Passion of The Christ that will brutally show the depths of God's love for us. One is sentimental and trite - don't get me wrong, I'm all for us showing our affection for our loved ones. The other will be shocking and torturous for us. Yet in that telling of Jesus' sacrificial love, there is power that is beyond human wisdom to draw people to God.

I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

So let's begin now to pray that we can use this month of love to help others come and find the one love that will make an eternal difference in their lives. Let's be ready to tell the story of Jesus to those who are ready to hear what his Passion truly means for them. We are working on a very simple website that will help others know how the very first people who were touched by Jesus' death responded to God's love, so please pray for these efforts to be effective to the Lord's glory. Most of all, let's help folks hear the ultimate love story, the love story that can be understood in any language.