I) Introduction: Many people celebrated Valentine’s Day with their significant others, children, and others to whom special expressions of love are warranted. The truth is that what the world needs now is more love. As we look at the rise of violence in our communities, the climbing divorce rates, especially among Christians, and the disunity we see in families and other areas of our society, we need more love. Beyonce introduced a hit called, ‘Drunk in Love.’ The song expresses the truth that love can be intoxicating. It can make a person act in ways that they thought they would never act. Love is powerful, and that is why we must be careful when we express love and to whom we express love. There are other songs about love that share the philosophy that love hurts. Love does not hurt. When someone does not love us back or share the same love with us, then we begin to hurt. Love does not hurt on its own. In fact, Paul gives us some insight on love. He lets us know that we may have various spiritual gifts and abilities, if we do not have love, they do not mean anything. Then he explains: “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends,” I Corinthians 13:5-7.

II) We confuse love with a lot of things that have no real power. Natalie Cole also provides some insight on love: “Love is nice and love is gentle. Love is joy, love is pain. Love is laughing in the rain. Love is always right on time. Love is you and love is me. Love is a little baby.” Love is powerful! Love does not seek to hurt or use another person. Love does not tear down. Love is not lust. Love is not jealousy. Love is not saying, “I love you” without follow up action. Love must be active for it to mean anything. It is one thing to tell a person that you love them, but it does not mean anything until love is shown in action.

III) We need God’s grace to love. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Natalie Cole said it best: “It takes strength to love.” We need grace to love. We need love to love the people that we see every day. We cannot love our spouses as we should without God’s grace. We cannot even love our children as we should without God’s grace. We cannot love our friends without God’s grace. If we cannot love the people that are closest to us without God’s grace, we know that it takes grace to love people who have hurt us, betrayed us, rejected us, and disappointed us. Yes, it takes grace to be patient. It takes grace to be humble. It takes grace to have a good spirit. It takes grace not to rejoice in someone else’s downfall.

IV) There is power in love. When we choose to love in the way God has loved us, and the way the word of God has instructed us to love, we can see the miracles that love can work in our situations. Love can block plans of the enemy. Love can change bad circumstances into opportunities. Love enables us to look like the bigger person. Love can change people’s attitudes. Love feeds hungry people. Love keeps a cold person warm. Love can make a dirty person clean. Love is powerful. Jesus is love, and we know how powerful he is!

V) God’s love for you makes you powerful!