Valentine's Day

The observance of Valentine’s Day dates back to the 5^th century as people remembered and honored the Christian martyr, Saint Valentinus of Rome.  Through the years, February 14 has become a day where people intentionally express love with the giving of candy, cards, flowers, and gifts.  Since the 19^th century, the production of cards has more often than not taken the place of handwritten declarations of love.

 

Long before St. Valentine, Scripture proclaims over and over again that God loves us, we are the apple of His eye and He rejoices over us with singing.  Because of His great love for us, He sent His Son to become the sacrifice for our sins.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior we become God’s child.  And as dearly loved children, Jesus reminds us of the importance of loving God with all of our being and loving others as well.  In response to that great love, may every day be Valentine’s Day as we take those commandments to heart and implement them 365 days of the year with our written and spoken words, actions, reactions, and deeds.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

I John 4:9-12

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 17:8

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I John 3:1a

And 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—t0hat you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17b-19

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-39

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

John 15:12 

Do everything in love. 
I Corinthians 16:14