LOVED!

     Valetine's Day elicits all types of emotions.  If you are dating-thrill for weeks, perhaps; planning, creating, preparing a wonderful way to show love to someone... if you are "romantic".  Or the "realist"/"indy" nonconforming person declares "I will not be trapped by social expectations and forced to spend cash to one-up my friends/co-workers/neighbours/family/facebook contacts and EVERYONE just to appease the masses that I love my significant other. "I will do nothing extra, it's another day..." Those are the extremes, and there are varying levels of each out there. Don't forget, there are single people, and I empathize, I remember when I was single wishing I could just simply skip that day. Some choose to rebel by wearing black, others just bear it silently... Think of a widow/er, or a recently divorced person... the heartache and pain related to a day on the calendar can be seriously traumatic.

   Wait.... Who was St. Valentine?  Why did the holiday really begin?

   Apparently a priest during Emperor Claudius' reign who preformed marriages secretly against the law at that time, as it was believed that soldiers shouldn't be married because it would make them fearful of death in battle. St. Valentine was imprisoned, beaten and executed for his actions.  His stand for marital love has turned into the Valentine's Day we know today....      

   Do you know that regardless of your marital status, age, familial ties or number of facebook friends or lack thereof... you are loved.  Yes, you.  No one is exempt. It's true. Really.  True. 100%  No, I don't know whose eyes are reading this, I don't know where you are or what you've done. But I know there is genuine love for every person who has ever walked on planet earth.

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.                                                               1 John 4:9-11

   GOD, Creator of planet earth (Genesis 1-3), sustain-er of all life (Colossians 1:16-17), know-er of all things, yes, everything we've ever done He knows (Hebrews 4:13) LOVES YOU! He declares it in His Word over and over.... Read these words, and I pray the truth soaks into your soul.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

   These verses and many more tell us of the love of God for people. He designed us for relationship and offers us that to us.  But these verses also reveal a problem and a need.  "...in that while we were yet sinners..."(Romans 5:8).  We have a sin issue.  All wrong done according to God's standard (because He is holy-Exodus 15:11) separates us from Him, and creates a barrier to relationship  (Romans 3:23).  We deserve to be apart from Him because we as humankind chose rebellion in the Garden of Eden(Genesis 3), and are sinners by nature (Romans 5:12), no one is without sin (Isaiah 53:6), we are all guilty (Jeremiah 17:9).  So, we have a BIG problem that we cannot solve on our own.  No amount of good behaviour or penance will remove our sin (Ephesians 2:8,9).

   God looked down in love and made a way for us to be brought back to Him.  Over and over throughout History mankind refused God, yet He loves (2 Thessalonians 2:16).  Like any love offered, it must be received.  You don't consider two people "in a relationship" if they don't acknowledge and accept the others' love,spend time together, nurture that relationship.... Same with the love God offers.  We need to accept it for ourselves.  This is called "salvation".  We need to agree with God we are guilty, believe that the death of His Son Jesus was sufficient to pay our sin debt, asking Him to forgive us, and placing our faith in what He did for us.  This is a receiving of His gift of eternal life.  It closes the gap of separation and gives us relationship to GOD! Awesome love!  Have you made that decision?  Do you know personally the love of Jesus?  It's a decision only you can make for yourself.

   If you know Him, I hope your Valentines' Day is a celebration of His love!  Human relationships are a blessing, and to be treasured, but knowing Him is an eternal relationship that gives life meaning, hope and peace, and eternal life to come! I close with the words of Paul, and sincerely pray this for you reader;

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19