Welcome to “Be Still Saturday!” Sit down with a cup of coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate, or even soda, doesn’t matter, and spend a few minutes letting God speak to you through his word. Each week, I will share a single verse or passage that blessed my heart as I read through the Bible this year.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

[Rom 13:8-10 KJV]

Happy Early Valentine’s Day! A day set aside to celebrate love- the love of family, friends, classmates, teachers, spouses… and anyone else we can think of if. These expressions of love bring smiles to some, and tears to others—like the poor kids who don’t get any valentines in their boxes at school—do they even do that anymore?

But the truth is we should show love 365 days of the year, not just one, because love is more than cards, chocolate, flowers, teddy bears, fancy dinners… love is best shown in the way we treat each other every single day.

And I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of hate everywhere I go. On the road, in the stores, in the restaurants, even among believers… just a lot of hate.

I remember when my husband was teaching the youth at our church, he said, “All crimes are hate crimes.” In our modern world, we have this special classification for “hate crimes,” however no crime is committed because we love that other person.

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

The man asked, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus answered with the story of The Good Samaritan in Luke 10. “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

And Jesus himself showed us what love truly is when he died on the cross to pay for your sins and mine. They committed a “hate crime” against him, and he showed them love. When he had mercy on us.

See, here’s the truth of love.

Biblical love is when we bestow mercy and show kindness to those who don’t deserve it.

It’s loving someone when they’ve done you wrong.

It’s changing a flat tire for the guy who cut you off in traffic.

It’s helping the woman locate something in the store after she took the last whatever you were after.

It’s speaking kindly to the person who cussed you out.

It’s turning the other cheek. It’s going the second mile.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1Corinthians 13:4-7

How are you doing in the love department?