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It’s February again – the month many people think of as the month of love. Some women look forward to getting chocolates, flowers, and going on a perfect date. Others hope to rekindle romance with their partner. But some don’t like Valentine’s Day at all and try to avoid it completely. It’s interesting how different people feel about this holiday.
But here’s what I think is most important: No matter how you feel about Valentine’s Day, there’s something we all share. We all have a King who made us and loves us always, no matter what.
What God has told us about love…
God talks a lot about love in the Bible, mentioning it more than 300 times. This helps us understand what love really is and how it should look.
Let’s start exploring God’s view on love with this verse from the Bible: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). It’s amazing to think that we love our spouses, families, children, and friends because Jesus loved us first. We are loved by Jesus from the beginning.
Ephesians 3:17-19 says, “…I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (emphasis is mine).
This talks about a love that is beyond our understanding, so big and deep that we can’t even fully grasp it. Remember that God loves you. Take a moment to really think about that and feel it in your heart. Be thankful for God’s never-ending love for you. The greatest king loves you. Instead of focusing on past pains or hurts from others, let’s focus on the fact that Jesus loves us, and that will never change.
And to love each other…
Think about this: isn’t it strange that we often look for love from other people or things, instead of the love from God? Shouldn’t God’s love be enough? I do think it’s important for us to get love from others and to give them love too. The Bible even tells us to do this.
It says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
Jesus loves us and fills our hearts with love so we can pour out love to others (even those who are hard to love!). But we need to let ourselves be loved by Jesus first, to really know how to love others.
Something more Bible says about love…
When I think about what the Bible says about love, these parts stand out to me:
1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
1 John 4:16: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Please read these verses again, and read them out loud. God’s words are strong. Let God’s truth about love fill your mind and heart.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”
Valentine’s Day according to God…
Don’t let the enemy confuse you regarding love. Love is not merely an array of quaint messages on folded pieces of paper sold for $5.99 each. Love is not “two dozen, assorted kinds/flavors…dinner for two.” Sure, these are expressions of love, but in and of themselves, they are NOT love.
Without a deep, affectionate understanding of the love Jesus has for us, the cards, flowers, chocolates, and dinners are, well, just that…cards, flowers, chocolates and dinners. They are simply things that can remind us of joyful memories, or at times not-so-good ones. But with Jesus, all of those things take on new meaning. They are not simply sensual gestures of love thatasks, “what’s in it for me, and how do you make me feel.” But instead it is a love thatsays, “I’m in this for you, because Jesus is as well,” “I love you because He first loved me – and that will never change.”
Be God’s Valentine…
In other words, Valentine’s Day must begin and end with Jesus for it to have any real substance worth cherishing at all. And if the LORD is our Valentine – our love and affection – then the celebration of this day is a beautiful thing, whether you’re single, married, dating, or long to be or not. You’re celebrating Jesus. Don’t let the cultural thermometer of your current relationship or lack of one define something that comes not from the world, but from above. It’s of our Father in Heaven that David penned these words in Psalm 16:11 NIV – “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence,with eternal pleasuresat your right hand.”
This is the truth about love. Even if you have heard it all before, remember that God’s Word is living and breathing and He may be speaking to you in a new way through these same old scriptures that you have read one hundred times before.
Be full in Christ’s love today and on this coming Valentine’s Day. Be encouraged. Grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of God is for YOU. A love that surpasses knowledge. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Hallmark will ever come close to expressing love in a Valentine’s Day card the incredible way the Bible does. 😊
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