Happy Valentine’s Day!
When the stores in my city are packed with flowers, chocolates, candies, and cards, like they are right now, I know that Valentine’s Day is around the corner. People around the world celebrate St. Valentine’s Day by showing appreciation and affection for the people they love. Wherever you are in the world – and whatever your Valentine’s customs may be – one thing seems sure: celebrating love, friendship, admiration, and appreciation is universal.
My earliest childhood memories of Valentine’s Day includes Sweethearts candies. Sweethearts, also known as conversation hearts, they’re small heart-shaped sugar candies sold around Valentine’s Day. As a young child we exchanged these with classmates. It wasn’t about romantic love it was about friendship love.
So I’ve been thinking about love and conversations and conversations and love.
1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) talks to us about God’s love and our love.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
I want to get better at having conversations that show others the love of God and my love for them.
Here’s a little conversation tool I’ve started using recently to help me talk to others about the love of God. We call it “iLOVE”. The whole thing starts because God’s love motivates me to love others and desire to see them come to know God’s love in a personal and saving relationship.
i “i” is for Initiate – say “hello” initiate a simple casual conversation, not spiritual, just a normal everyday type of conversation.
L “L” is for Listen – listen closely as they give you a glimpse into their life. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with your listening. Ask the person questions about what they share.
O “O” is for Offer – offer an encouragement, prayer, a scripture as comfort, or maybe your 30-second testimony, or something else as the Spirit leads you.
V “V” is for Visual – maybe offer to share a visual (I like to use the Bridge illustration. Maybe you have another visual for illustrating the gospel.)
E “E” is for Engage – offer an invitation to them to engage in a Discovery Bible Study (to continue the conversation) if they are interested in learning more about the love of God.
Church Multiplication Network:
Please join us for our next CMN online gathering as we learn more about the “iLOVE” tool and other conversation tools to help us share the love of Christ. Please bring a favorite tool or tip to share!
Please join us at 3pm (Frankfurt) 9am (Panama), Tuesday the 14th of February.
Your Church Multiplication Leadership Team looks forward to seeing you!
