For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son! —John 3:16
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Christmas time is a time for families to gather to show love to each other and others. Many people become servants to the less fortunate during the holiday times more than at other times of the year.
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When you look up quotes about love online, there are more than 3,500 of them. In almost all of these quotes, love entails doing something. Love isn’t love until you give it away. Love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind and your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. God so loved the world that He gave his only son.
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When my brother was in high school, he performed in a play, and one of the lines throughout the play was “Turn the lights off.” My brother is older than I and does not remember the play. I certainly do not even know the name of the play, but perhaps you do. It was finally explained in the play that every time you tell a person to turn the lights off you are telling them that you love them.
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Often I try to be a servant, and it just does not work out the way I wish. I try to give a person a buggy at the store and they will not let me. I tell a person to go ahead of me in line when my basket is overflowing and they have only a few items. Sometimes I get thanked and other times I get “Oh, are you sure that you mean it?” I would not have offered to do it if I did not mean it.
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Martha tried to show her love for Jesus by keeping a clean house. No one will ever accuse me of being a Martha. I have several excellent excuses for not being Martha. Dusting makes me sneeze. My back hurts. I would rather be doing something for someone else like writing a letter or buying your grandchild something useful.
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In the big picture GOD is not going to judge me on how clean the house is or isn’t. God looks at how much I love others today, not tomorrow or yesterday. Every day I should dress in the most important garment of all, LOVE.
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During this season and every day, “St. John’s, turn the lights out.”
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Lord of all of us, please show us each day ways to love. Let us remember others daily and not only at Christmas by showing the type of love you show us. We ask these things in your name, believing.
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Daphne G. Grady
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