What does the world need now?
By Paul Bawden
The old song’s answer was love, sweet love, not for some but for everyone.
Certainly, love is in the air this month when Valentine’s Day is celebrated. It’s expected that Americans will spend $27.5 billion on Valentine’s Day, which is an average of $188.81 per person, notes FOX 5 Atlanta.
Looking at the conflict in the Middle East, the Ukraine/Russia war, the antisemitism, the political division in the USA, along with the rise in lawlessness, there is a tremendous need for an extra dose of love. Add to that fractured and broken marriages, the need for harmony in family relationships between parents and their children, and the need for positive relations in the workplace, love is desperately needed in our relationships.
So, from where does love come? Certainly, we as individuals can show love to one another. But our love can be mixed with jealousy, criticism, showing partiality, covetousness, immorality, evil thoughts, theft, murder, even war.
Is there love, then, that is without any impurity, while being lasting, that is eternal? Certainly, such can’t be found among humanity, for we are here today and gone tomorrow. Thusly, true pure love that is eternal must be found outside of ourselves.
Cutting through cultural denial and unbelief these words come to mind, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). “God so loved the world . . . .” (John 3:16). These words tell us that there is the true source for eternal love. It’s found in the eternal biblical God who is love (I John 4:8).
God is love – nice words. But how do we know the biblical God is love? His one action proves this conclusively. God proves His love for us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us (Rom.5:8). No greater eternal love than Jesus Christ suffering beyond description, dying on an old rugged cross, placed in a cold tomb, and then conquering the grave bodily. He did it for you and me to provide us His forgiveness and eternal life (I John 4:9-10).
Sure, one can say such isn’t true, or that it was a spiritual happening, which denies the historicity of the event. The eyewitnesses give undeniable evidence that Christ died, was buried, and rose from the grave bodily, and He did that for you and me.
What’s our response? We can’t remain neutral – To not decide is to decide. The one who decides for Christ and follows Him, has God’s transforming love poured into His life (Rom. 5:5), so now he can love like Christ in His power with His forgiveness and unconditional love – love that is patient, kind, doesn’t envy, is not arrogant, rude, is not irritable or resentful, doesn’t rejoice In wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth . . . . love is the greatest (I Cor. 13:4-8). Why so? God’s love is the greatest because His love is eternal.
Only Christ’s eternal love experienced in the world leaders lives through faith in Him will end the hatred, unrest, division, and war in the world. Only His eternal love experienced in our lives personally will bring peace and healing in our relationships! I trust your Valentines’ Day will be filled with the joy and peace of Christ’s love for you and in you, individually, in your marriages, in your families, and with others.
What the world needs now is Christ’s love! Happy Valentine’s Day!!
Paul Bawden is married and served in the pastoral ministry for 45 years, retiring in 2011. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Speech and attended Dallas Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology. He has taken counseling courses at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Paul is a lifetime member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as being a member of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), which serves churches during their time of transition in searching for a new pastor. He writes for Union Gospel Press, as well as being a volunteer writer for GotQuestions.org. Paul likes to write, read, bike, and work in the yard. The Bawdens have had the privilege to travel to Mexico and Romania on mission trips and visited various countries in Europe.