February 16, 2015 - Teays Valley Church of God

I Corinthians 13:11 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child, I loved like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
The ways we experience, expect love and show love as children ought to change as we progress through life and obtain understanding about what real love is. In addition to that, I believe there is a need not just to understand the standard of love, but to understand that each person experiences love and expresses love differently and becoming educated and aware of how love is best given and received from individual to individual is also part of the maturing process we can and should embrace as we strive to “prefer one another above ourselves” as Scripture encourages. Romans 12:10 tells us, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” I am only devoted to my husband and children in love if I understand how they feel and experience loveand seek to love them in that way.Love is truly a language, and each of us speaks it differently. In Christian author, Dr. Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages, he identifies five different love languages. I will list them for you with a short description. To find out your love language, visit http://www.5lovelanguages.com/.WORDS OF AFFIRMATION.
Some people doubt if love for them is real unless they hear words of compliment or appreciation. They need encouragement to be able to relax and rest in their own accomplishment.QUALITY TIME.
Feelings take time to express. Having someone look you in the eye, nod their head and interject thoughts to show they are listening, all of these are part of quality time. Does a spouse or children you love need a special afternoon, a date night, or some minutes each day where they can share what is going on in their hearts and lives with you and have your undivided attention?

RECEIVING GIFTS.
For people who possess this love language, it really is the thought that counts. Gifts don’t have to be over the top, extravagant and expensive. The gift just communicates, “I thought of you and wanted to bless you because you are special to me.” A gift can demonstrate that you honor someone just like the Wisemen did when they presented Jesus with gifts at His birth in Matthew 2:11. The greatest gifts are the ones from the heart. They serve as a tangible sign that someone has part of your heart.

ACTS OF SERVICE.
For some people, nothing says, “I care” more than a well-vacuumed floor or scrubbed toilet! Acts of service are a very personal way to say “I love you” because they require someone’s time and energy. If there are two things we could all use more of they are time and energy and when someone is willing to spend some of their time and energy on someone so they can have a little more time and energy it communicates love.

PHYSICAL TOUCH.
Touch is a part of any loving relationship whether parent to child, sibling to sibling or the intimate kind of physical touch a husband and wife share. Hugs and kisses and pats on the back and head and “high fiving” each other are all important and to some people, physical touch is everything. Body language and the willingness to get close to someone for some people says, “I love you.” The comfort of an arm around your shoulder in a moment of crises or grief can help you feel secure and understood, like you are not alone. For some people, a hug says more than words.

Our willingness to love is really measured by our willingness to learn to speak the language of those we love.
Let’s be a lover of all people and especially the ones God has instructed us to impact on a daily basis!

Pastor Melissa

When Jesus Walks with You

Luke 24:13-35 chronicles one of the many Jesus-sightings that took place after the Resurrection. It tells the story of two

Jesus Rose

Matthew 28:1-6-1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look

Jesus Surrendered

John 10:11 and 14-18-11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 14 “I am the good