Many people search for expensive gifts, make reservations at fancy and expensive restaurants, while thinking the whole time if these gifts and events will actually express their love to one another.
This popular February holiday is a great time to express love to each other, as friends, as spouses and in dating relationships.
As Valentine’s is a holiday that is specifically meant to celebrate love together, it is interesting that the day is more focused on those we live our lives with rather than the One who gave us life.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to celebrate the love shared by spouses or those in a dating relationship, but what if we celebrated our love for Christ too? Valentine’s does not have to only be for those in a married or dating relationship, but it can also be for those who have a relationship with God.
What would it be like if we spent Valentine’s Day expressing our love to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?
In high school, a friend of mine encouraged me to spend the day with God. Since I was single and did not have any plans, I decided it could not hurt to do just that. When I got home after a day of Valentine festivities at school, I went into the living with a hot cup of sizzling, sweet coffee, my Bible, my journal and my favorite worship C.D.
I played the music and spent some time in worship and prayer to the Lord. After some time spent in prayer, I began to read different passages about love in my Bible. I read through a few Psalms that talk about God’s love:
Psalm 36:5 “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”
Psalm 62:3 “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”
Psalm 86:13 “For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.”
Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”
Psalm 103:11 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”
After reading many other Psalms as well as the well-known passage in 1 Corinthians 13, I was ravished by his love and reminded of his sacrifice so that I may have life and salvation. God revealed how he desires a great love from our heart to his, and this is something that Christ-followers continue growing in every day of their lives. It was a great Valentine’s Day for me, and I was happy to spend the time celebrating the love of my Savior and growing in my own love for the Lord.
This year will be my first Valentine’s Day with my new and beloved husband. I look forward to celebrating our love together and our seven months of blissful marriage thus far. Even though we will be celebrating our love, we will also celebrate the love Christ has shown us, and the desire we have to continue growing in our love and dedication for him.
For this Valentine’s Day and for those to come, be encouraged to continue celebrating your love for your spouse or loved ones. But also remember to take some time to glorify the Lord for the love he bestowed upon us, and pray that God would continue to develop in our own hearts a greater desire and love for him.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
What a powerful message of love that we can celebrate on Valentine’s Day!