God’s Valentine

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  (John 3:16-17 KJV)

Note:  This post is an edited and revised version of what I shared last year on Valentine’s Day.

God's Valentine image from pixabay

Happy Valentine’s Day!  God loves you so much—more than you or anyone can begin to fathom! 

Have you ever realized that you are God’s Valentine and that He is yours?  Think about what this means; let it seep deeply into your soul—your innermost being.  How does knowing this change your view of yourself, your view of God, and your view of others?

God loves each and every one of His children fully and completely—a love that is uniquely and individually designed for His children.  God’s love for us is so intense and deep that we are unable to fathom it this side of Heaven.  God’s love is a love that completes and fulfills us in a way that nothing or no one on earth can.

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.  (1 John 3:1 KJV)

Since we live in a sinful, fallen world, it makes sense that the love we experience here would seem rather incomplete.  In Heaven, I believe that we will experience such a fullness of God’s love that our earthly bodies and minds simply could not handle it.

God’s love of and for us is an empowering love, it is not a love that controls or manipulates to get its own way; it is a love that sets its object (that is us!) free!  Due to the sinful world we inhabit, at times we experience love that is anything but freeing; in fact, it sometimes controls and manipulates to get its own way.  Sadly, “love” in this world can also be horrifically abusive.

Even at that, I believe we can catch glimpses of this love in the world around us, as well as throughout the Scriptures.  Think about this:  God’s Word (both the Old and New Testaments) is His love letter to us.  How cool is that?!  Try reading your Bible as God’s love letter to you; see what a difference it makes in how you perceive the words in it.

Personal Photo

How does knowing the Bible is God’s love letter to you change how you read it?  What do you think about this idea of the Bible being God’s love letter to you?

In February 2009 (including Valentine’s weekend), I was blessed to go on a Walk to Emmaus retreat—a 72 hour date with the Lord.  It was a wonderful time of spiritual growth, nourishment, and renewal!  Experiencing God’s love and the love of His children was simply amazing!  I simply do not have the words to describe that time.  To learn more about this experience, please see:  Walk to Emmaus. 

We see God’s love for us in the imagery of a shepherd caring for his or her sheep—protection, provision, care, and guidance.  His love for us goes far beyond the love we feel for our family and friends or receive from them.  It is a love that heals and love that provides safety and security that is not of this world. 

God’s love is perfect and complete—it fits us perfectly, it heals us and sets us free from fear (1 John 4:18 KJV) and bondage to sin.  God’s love is the real thing!

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. 

(Zephaniah 3:17 KJV)

How have you experienced God’s love?  How have you shared it?

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear God of Love, we long to bask in the healing warmth of Your love.  Please pour into our open hearts Your love, so that we may in turn pour out that love on others.  It is only in and through You that we have any capacity to love.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, enabling us to love those who are the most challenging to love—who are the ones who are the most loved-starved in our midst.  As we begin to think about preparing for Lent and then Easter, direct our attention to Your greatest demonstration of love—sending Your precious and only Son, Jesus Christ, to walk on earth and to die on the cross in our place, and rising again—giving us access to You and to eternal life that is worth living.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim