A valentine to the chosen

Today is a fun day for many and a not-so-fun day for others. 

I still remember the pressure of hoping my carefully decorated shoebox would contain some valentines from my classmates! In my day, it wasn’t a requirement to give everyone in the class a valentine. A few of the kids, especially the classroom bully, didn’t get many. And looking back, the classroom bully probably needed a valentine more than anyone else.

Valentine’s Day can still be a lot of pressure for some in our culture. This is a good day to be sensitive to others around us. God might call us to be a valentine to somebody today. 

God’s valentine to you 

God “so loved this world” he gave us Jesus. When God sent his son to become our Savior, he said, “I love you more than you can imagine.” 

When Jesus stood silent before his accusers and accepted our punishment on his cross, he said, “I love you more than you can imagine.” 

When we set aside our own needs in order to serve someone else in the name of Christ, we are saying, “Jesus loves you more than you can imagine.” 

Your valentine to others 

Scripture teaches us how to live a life that offers the love of Christ to others. 

Paul probably wrote his letter to the church in Colossae when he was under house arrest in Rome. Epaphras was a convert of Paul’s who likely established and led the church in Colossae. Epaphras came to see Paul, concerned about what he saw happening in the church.  

Colossae was a smaller city surrounded by larger, more important cities of that day. It was located in what is now modern-day Turkey, along an important trade route. If you live in Texas, think of Colossae as a town that might be chosen for the next Buc-ee’s. (For those of you outside of Texas, check out the link. You don’t know what you are missing!) 

Colossae saw a lot of people who were simply traveling by each day, giving the Christian church there a great opportunity to share the gospel. Sadly, many of the travelers saw the church as an opportunity to share their own “message,” which often conflicted with the truth of the gospel.  

Paul encouraged those living in that city to be careful with their theology, their calling, and their character. His words to that important church are a valentine message to us for the sake of others. Paul wrote: 

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12–14). 

Our Christian character can be a daily valentine that we share with people around us. God gave his love to us for every day, not just for certain holidays. 

A Valentine’s message to the “chosen ones” 

I still remember the class Valentine’s party when I was in the fifth grade. 

Jeff, a boy in the class who “liked me,” came up to my desk with a box of chocolates and a store-bought, real Valentine’s card! (It was too big for the shoebox.) He was as red in the face as the foil of that heart-shaped box of chocolates. I was probably blushing as well. 

The other kids stopped to watch him deliver his gift. It was a fifth-grade moment for sure! I still remember Jeff and that Valentine’s Day that made me feel special and chosen. 

Everyone who has placed their faith in Christ is a “chosen one.” We are loved more than we can imagine. That love is the best source for our sense of “self.” We should pause on this Valentine’s Day to remember that we have been made “holy” and are “beloved.” That love should create in us “compassionate hearts” and a life marked by “kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” The character of Christ within us will enable us to “bear with one another” and “forgive each other.”  

Jesus in us will forgive when we cannot. Jesus in us will love others that we might not naturally choose to love on our own. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). 

Who shared God’s valentine with you? 

Most of us probably can list several people who have invested their time, their love, and their compassionate help in our lives. None of us live our Christian lives on an island. If we aren’t careful, however, we will live our lives in our own circles and miss those who are outside of our “group.” 

Is there a “bully” who needs a Valentine’s message today? 

Is there a shy, quiet person that most people don’t notice that you can choose to bless today? 

We often think of Valentine’s Day as being for just a few special people in our lives. Who, outside of our circle, needs a message of God’s love today too? 

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

If this is the only valentine you get today, I hope it will make you smile. God is love. The Creator of the Universe has chosen to love you more than you can imagine. You are loved today, tomorrow, and for all eternity with his powerful and perfect love. 

Buy yourself a rose or a box of chocolate. Give someone else what you would enjoy receiving yourself. You have been chosen, and you are loved with an “everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).  

Happy Valentine’s Day.
Love, God.

How does God say “I love you”?

Americans will spend about $26 billion this week on Valentine’s Day, which is about $2 billion more than last year. 

Yep, inflation is even hitting our heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, not to mention the cost of roses and steak dinners. 

And didn’t we just finish our Christmas shopping?

At least Easter is still two months away. 

America—and America’s retailers—do like their holidays. 

Five free Valentine’s gifts . . . maybe?

It’s good to have a day dedicated to the joy of having people to love, but we don’t need to break the bank to do that. Cosmopolitan Magazine had a few ideas for free, or almost free, giving

  • Decorating a mug with oil-based Sharpies using personal ideas or dates. (Don’t forget to bake the mug at 250 degrees for two hours after drawing on it. Apparently, that makes the marker permanent, and spreading ink all over someone’s hands does not say “I love you.”)  
  • They suggested a cheap feast of a person’s favorite junk foods, like Mcdonald’s fries or Oreos. (I’m not too sure about this one . . . but it would be cheap!)
  • Rewrite some song lyrics to personalize them for the one you love. (I suggest you choose wisely. You might want to avoid certain 70’s classics like “Send in the Clowns” or “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown.”)
  • Write notes, roll them up, and place them in balloons all over the room. (This sounds like a great idea unless the notes are an extension of the honey-do list. Imagine popping your valentine’s balloon only to read, “Please pick up my prescription while you are searching through the last seven valentine’s cards at CVS! Love ya’!”.)
  • Fill a jar with future date-night ideas. (Caution: This one may be cheap for Valentine’s Day but then could really cost you for the next few months!)

Six expensive gifts that are sure to impress . . . maybe?

SuccessStory.com went another direction with their article. They listed the most expensive Valentine’s Day suggestions they could find: 

  • Italian sunglasses from someone I never heard of that cost $412,000. (A person probably shouldn’t keep these in the cup holder of their car.)
  • An expensive pen that costs $720,000. It’s covered with diamonds and gemstones. (It will, however, run out of ink just like the free pens you get at the bank.)
  • A small heart-shaped purse that costs $3.7 million. It is covered in gold and diamonds. It does not, however, hold the extra-large cell phones that most of us carry.
  • A gold iPad will set you back about $6 million. (You can play Words with Friends in style, but it will still be tough to play the Q if you don’t have a U as well. Hint: Go with the word Qi if you can use a triple score for the Q.)
  • If your loved one isn’t tracking their steps on their watch, try the 201-carat watch that costs $24 million dollars. They won’t be congratulated when they reach their walking goal, but they will probably feel pretty good about themselves when someone asks them for the time.
  • Finally, if it is time to trade in the SUV, you can purchase the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO for only $70 million. But, let’s face it . . . if you can afford that car, you probably don’t have the ability to get in and out of it anymore.

How does God say “I love you”?

If Jim drove up in that Ferrari, I would know God had performed a miracle. 

If I ever signed a check with that diamond pen, the person I was writing the check to would need to report a fraud alert. 

I often try to win the HGTV Dream Homes, and I’ve given the Lord opportunities to “provide” me with a million dollars, but let’s just say God’s response has always been, “Remember, the last shall be first and the first last.”  

Actually, I am a very blessed person in many ways. But I’m old enough to realize that no matter how much we have, we usually define enough as just one or two things more. One of the best things about heaven is that we will live completely content with all we have because we will know for certain it is all we need. 

Do you remember the first time you heard someone quote the familiar saying, “I asked Jesus how much do you love me?” 

“This much,” he answered. Then he stretched out his arms and died. 

I repeat that quote again because it is memorable and pretty well says it all

How did God say I love you? 

  • He gave his one and only Son so that we could be saved (John 3:16).
  • Even though we were sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
  • God has loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).
  • The Lord is on our side (Psalm 118:6).
  • The Lord is abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 103:8).
  • God is love (1 John 4:8).

Whom will you give God’s love to this week?

God’s love is free to us but cost him his beloved Son. 

Interestingly, we receive God’s love freely, but it will likely cost us something to give it away. 

What are you willing to pay in order to give the very best valentine? 

When I was in elementary school, we covered shoe boxes with paper and then the teacher cut a hole in the lid so our classmates could drop valentines in for us. It was so fun to look through the cards and read them all several times. Those little heart-shaped cards were not expensive, but they were valuable. 

I remember the year I got a valentine that wouldn’t fit in my box. It was a real, grown-up valentine from a boy in my class. I felt special and proud to receive it. I still remember the boy’s name.  

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope you get a special card this week from someone who loves you. But I also hope you know that every day you have a message of love sent your way by the God who is love. His love is perfect, profound, and permanent. His love saves, is sufficient, and strengthens.  

One day we will dwell with the daily blessings that are the gift of being greatly and powerfully loved. We are treasured by the One who owns all there is. That thought kind of makes that Ferrari pale in comparison! 

I wish all of you, my readers, a very blessed Valentine’s Day filled with the knowledge that you have been chosen by God and you are his beloved. 

(And if you get that heart-shaped purse, just buy a little burner phone at the drugstore to go inside! If you get that “feast” of all your favorite junk food, just enjoy the fries and buy yourself some chocolates the day after Valentine’s Day. They are half-priced then anyway!) 

Whatever your gift is for Valentine’s Day, you can know you are greatly loved by our great and perfect God. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

St. Valentine had no idea

I was curious about the amount of money Americans spend on Valentine’s Day. It’s surprising!

According to WalletHub, Americans will spend almost $24 billion this year. How much is one billion? I like this measurement: The average human heart will have clocked one billion beats by the time we are 27.4 years old.  

St. Valentine would never have imagined the holiday that bears his name! What is it about Valentine’s Day that prompts this kind of spending? (Especially since most Americans don’t pay off their Christmas debt until April or June.) 

Why do we think spending money says “I love you”? St. Valentine would have preached against that notion. In full confession, I spend some money on the holiday. I’ve been married to my valentine for 42.5 years and, let’s face it, I’m a grandma who likes to see those grins! It’s good to remember the people we love for Valentine’s Day. But, extravagant gifts don’t say “I love you.” Thoughtful effort does. 

What says “I love you”? 

Everyone is different, especially these days. The advent of social media has impacted so many things, and not always for the best. I don’t post a lot of things, and rarely do I post personal things. 

I don’t want to use a social media platform to make me feel better about myself if it might cause someone to feel worse. I don’t want to look at social media and close the lid of my computer thinking someone has it better than I do. Mostly, I don’t want to question whether someone did something, or gave something, just for the sake of a social media post. Sometimes a person should feel loved by a Facebook post, but often people could probably feel a bit exploited.  

What truly says “I love you” in a way that builds a person up and causes them to know they are deeply cared for? 

When it comes to gifts or social media posts, the answer is individual. 

When it comes to the Lord, his word of love is pure, genuine, and a gift for everyone. 

We should give what we have received 

One of the most important spiritual lessons I learned was that I cannot give away what I have never received. The best way to be a person who is loving is to become a person who is loved. 

First John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” I used to read that verse as a directive. In my mind, it meant, “We have to love others because God gave his love to us, and we owe him.” 

But that isn’t the way God works. 

He didn’t love us so that we would be obligated to love others. God loves us so that we are able to love others. We can love others because God has given us his love to share with others. 

Are you running on fumes? 

We often speak about being filled with the Spirit in order to serve God well. However, we also need to be filled with the Spirit in order to love others well. In fact, loving others is our most important service to God and others. 

Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . .” When Paul was listing the fruit that God’s Holy Spirit produces in our lives, he listed love first. When he spoke of the gifts of the Spirit in his letter to the Corinthians, he said, “The greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). 

When we feel like it is difficult to love other people, is it because we have not taken the time to be filled with God’s love to give? Are we running on fumes instead of a full tank? 

A Valentine’s message for you 

We know we are loved by God, but has it been a while since you received God’s love into your life? Valentine’s Day is coming, and this may be the most important “word of love” you receive this year.  

The best way to be filled with the love of God is to draw near to him. 

The Apostle John wrote to the church he loved saying, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16). 

Have you ever received a hug from someone wearing expensive perfume or aftershave? Quite often we pick up the fragrance on whatever we are wearing. Consider Jesus, anointed by Mary with that expensive vial of costly perfume. Anyone Jesus hugged would have carried the fragrance of his anointing to others. That is still true today. 

When last did you feel enveloped by the love of Christ? 

When last did you study Scripture for the purpose of receiving his love? 

When last did you pray, asking for God to fill you with his love so that you can share his love with others? 

Sometimes I imagine what it will be like to enter heaven, knowing I am eternally home. One of my favorite thoughts to consider is stepping into the open arms of Jesus as he wraps me in a loving hug. And I like to think that the fragrance of his love will always linger, for every moment of my forever. 

A message from St. Valentine 

There is a lot of mystery surrounding who the original St. Valentine really was. I wish I had a famous quote from him, but there are none I could confirm. Maybe that is for the best because there are as many ways to say “I love you” as there are people in this world. 

Maybe the best message we received from St. Valentine is simply to remember the importance of love. The only perfect love is God’s. Our country will spend a lot of money this week trying to say “I love you.” Good luck finding the perfect gift or card! 

But, as Christians, let’s share our valentines with the love of God. If you give or get a gift that disappoints, remember what Peter said: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). We can’t get the gift right every year but we can give it with genuine love.

Christians are loved with a perfect love! That is our most important gift on Valentine’s Day and every day.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

 

The Best Valentines

If you haven’t purchased anything for Valentine’s Day, then you are an American exception. (Or, maybe you are running behind?) 

Americans will spend about $27.4 billion this year to celebrate the people they love. 

That is a LOT of cards, flowers, and steak dinners! 

The statistic I found most interesting concerned the increase in spending. Americans will spend $6.7 billion more in 2020 than they did in 2019. In fact, I was in the drug store last week, and they were already stocking the shelves for Easter! They only had a few remaining gifts for Valentine’s Day. 

Have those words caused a mild panic amongst some of my readers? 

You might want to shop sooner than later. 

Google to the rescue 

I think spending on Valentine’s Day has been greatly impacted by our computers. 

You can google great gifts, click on the website, and be ready for Valentine’s Day in one coffee break. 

For those who don’t know what to say on the bottom of the card, ask Google for the best Valentine’s quotes. Here are a few recommendations from Country Living Magazine

From a few authors: 

  • “In case you ever foolishly forget: I am never not thinking about you.” —Virginia Woolf
  • “Love is friendship that has caught on fire.” —Ann Landers
  • “Loving is not just looking at each other, it’s looking in the same direction.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupery

From a few “would-be” authors: 

  • I love you more than pizza.
  • Know why I have a library card? Because I’m checking you out.
  • Are you a banana? Because I find you a-peeling.

Let’s just say not everyone is a gifted author. 

If you could Google God 

There are a lot of clever words in our world today. And we will always be looking for ways to express our gratitude and love for the people in our lives. God’s word has the perfect advice for us if we want to truly experience the best Valentine’s Day. 

Romans 12:9–10 is a Valentine’s message from God. The New Living Translation states those verses well, saying, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” 

God would tell us not to simply buy messages of love. He would tell us to live them with genuine love. 

The best valentine to receive

The best love story ever written is the word of God. 

It began in Genesis, when God carefully made man, then woman—in his image. He breathed his life into theirs and gave them everything. He loved them. Sadly, they wanted more than he gave. 

When mankind sinned, God gave them everything again. He has always provided us a way to have a relationship of love with him. God loved his creation so much, he gave his Son. 

But, no love is ours until we choose to receive it. 

I wonder how many valentines will be given this week, but not received. It is always sad for someone when love is a one-way road. 

The best valentine to give 

We should be especially grateful for the love in our lives. To be loved by God is to know the most perfect love in this lifetime and then for all eternity. 

I’m grateful for all the people the Lord has given me to love and to receive love from. I’m aware that I am blessed and have a lot to be grateful for. But, I’m also aware that love requires one to give and another to receive. 

I hope all of us will give away God’s love to someone else this week. The Bible says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7–8). 

The most important valentine we will ever give will be words that lead others to the One who is love. 

A happy Valentine’s Day 

When I taught second grade, we would spend time decorating boxes or bags for Valentine’s Day. We had a party at school, and everyone went home with messages from classmates. It was always a fun party because everyone was included. 

Most of us will spend some money for Valentine’s Day. We should also spend some time giving God’s valentines away. Not everyone has been included in his celebration. They still need to receive what he wants to give. 

I wish you all God’s abundant love this week. 

We are greatly, miraculously, and perfectly loved—now and forever, by the One who is love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Don’t Forget God’s Valentine

Most of us will celebrate and honor the people we love this week. But let’s remember to honor the One who created the concept. God is love (1 John 4:8). He deserves our first and highest commitment of love.

Jesus told us that loving God was the most important commandment (Luke 10:27), and then added that we should love others as we love ourselves. I’ve often taught that the love we have for others is generated by the love we have for God.

But what would you answer if someone were to ask you “How do I love God?”

God is love

God is love, and we are created in his image. Human beings were given the unique ability to make choices because, without that gift, we couldn’t choose to love. Unfortunately, the ability to choose is also what grants us the ability to sin. And God created us with free wills anyway. That one fact tells us how important love is to God.

But, how do we choose to love God? Why do we need to make that choice?

God doesn’t need our love. He wants our love. God wants us to delight in him.

God is delight-ful

What delights you?

I am delighted to my core when my grandson runs to the front door and I hear him say, “Grandma, Grandma’s here!” When I know my family is safely home after a trip, I am delighted by that news. When I hear that someone is “cancer-free,” I am delighted with joy.

Psalm 37:4 tells us, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Do I get a sense of delight when I consider the holy love of God that has been poured into my life? Absolutely . . . but how often do I take the time to delight in God and receive his blessings?

We should take some time this week to turn off the world and fellowship with the love of our life—the God who created and is that love.

Love isn’t what we do

Where did we get the idea that love = doing something?

This week, millions of flowers will be sold, reservations made, and cards purchased. Don’t get me wrong: if you have a Valentine, you probably need to “do” something about that.

But, is loving God simply about what we do?

Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Jesus did not say, “If you keep my commandments, that means you love me.” That’s why Jesus had such a hard time with the Pharisees. They missed that point entirely!

Obedience is a natural result of loving God, but it isn’t how we love God. The cards, roses, reservations, and boxes of candy that will be purchased this week aren’t love. They are expressions of love. What someone does out of a sense of “duty” isn’t the same as what someone does out of their sense of love.

And God knows our hearts.

Love is what we choose to become

How do we become a person who loves God?

Make that choice. You were created in God’s image with the ability to love. Jesus said loving God is our highest commandment. Choose to love God with a powerful, faithful, unwavering commitment. When you make that choice, God will fill you with the desire to love others.

Become a person who truly, devotedly loves God and the rest of your life will reflect that choice. Max Lucado said, “You change your life by changing your heart.”

Jesus taught us how to love God when he taught us how to pray by saying “Our Father.” Become the loving child of the Creator God and you will love your Abba. Allow your primary identity to be as his adopted, loved child. Imagine his delight when you run to the door of heaven, shouting his name with joy.

As you give valentines this week, make the choice to include your highest expressions of love! God will be delighted to return the love you give.

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him.” —1 Corinthians 2:9