As you know, tomorrow is St. Valentines’ Day- the day that, as it approaches, sends many husbands and sweethearts scrambling to buy that box of Russell Stover’s Candy and what’s left of the picked-over Valentine’s Cards at Walmart. Of course, there are still plenty of cards under the “For Wife” selection, and probably will be so until late that evening. The ones “For Mom” are much more difficult to find- even five days before the event. Hallmark and Dayspring knows who really buys the cards for family members and friends. Its not that guys don’t care, its just that pulling one out of his routine to run in to a store and buy a card or a gift creates a major bump on his routine. A few years ago, a friend who makes a habit of procrastinating in preparation of this day read a little-known fact to his wife from the newspaper. He read, “Honey, it says here that its a little-known historical fact, Roman Emperor Claudius II had a priest by the name of Valentine beheaded in the year 270AD?”
The man’s wife shot back, “Because he did not buy his wife a Valentine card!”
Word to the wise! No matter what you might think of this rather unusual tradition, love is indeed something to celebrate considering the love that God shares with us. The very basis of our salvation is based on His love. There is more said about love in the Bible than any other emotion described in it. Without agape- the unconditional love of God, many of our society’s institutions which we take for granted would be absent. Hospitals began in the Middle Ages as a response to God’s love for human misery and suffering. Schools were begun by Christians to rid the world of ignorance and to provide hope through education so that more people would read about and to respond to God’s love. Without the word charity, which is another word for love, we would have no way to describe the thousands of organizations which have been started over the years to relieve oppression, poverty, and to bring justice and mercy to millions of lives. Without the love of God we would know nothing of these things.
The direction of this love has always been God to us- "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 4:10.
John is saying that without the love of God, man is basically helpless to express this on his own. He is incapable because it is not an emotion which man possesses in his natural state. Man has been capable of showing good-will to his fellow man, most go back to who instilled it into him and one will find that its origins were found in God’s love.
This should serve as no excuse for not purchasing a card, flowers, candy or any other small gift on Valentines Day, but long after the card has faded, the flowers have wilted and the candy eaten- God’s love and the expression of it- will continue for all time. In the spirit of St. Valentines, may the Lord inspire you to express the unconditional love of God to everyone around you.
Have a blessed day!
No comments:
Post a Comment