With this lesson, Mike begins a series of 6 sermons on “The Attitudes of the Heart.”

Valentine’s Day is a holiday dedicated to the concept of “love.” But the typical understanding of love is focused on romance, while the Scripture is focused on “agape” love, a love that sacrifices for others. As Scripture says in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for ones friends.”

Love, as demonstrated in Jesus’ choice to give his life for mankind, is the very embodiment of God.

In this lesson, Mike contrasts the various ways that people understand love, and looks at the idea that how we act says far more about our love than flowers or chocolate.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:16-18 (NIV)