Love

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Most importantly, happy birthday to my wonderful daughter!

Today is a great day to think about the love of God. David writes in Psalm 36:

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,

Your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

your justice like the great deep.”

Psalm 36:5-6b

On Valentine’s Day, it can be very tempting to focus primarily on horizontal love. We look around to celebrate our affection for others and hope that there is someone special who will also celebrate us. This is a wonderful thing to do! Romantic love can be a beautiful thing. Remember that God said that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone in the garden and gave him Eve. The first miracle Jesus did was to save the reputation of a groom at his wedding by changing water into wine (John 2:1-11).

Unfortunately, romantic love can also be used to hurt people. Some may withdraw affection in order to manipulate or hurt someone who loves them. Others may see it as an opportunity to use someone else for their own gain. You may be mourning a lost love today or longing for someone to love you.

On this day of all days, don’t forget that it is God who has shown us the greatest love. He so loved the world that he sent his only Son (John 3:16). This isn’t a temporary or ephemeral love. It isn’t something that is fickle or changeable. The love of God is vertical: it reaches from where we are to the highest heights of the heavens. More importantly, it reaches down from those heights to save us.

The love of God says, “I know you completely. I know the things you hate about yourself. I know the reasons why you think you are unlovable. I see you more clearly than you see yourself and yet I love you more fully than you can comprehend. I have saved you from your sins. You are my dearly beloved child.”

Live into that love today. Share that love with those around you. Happy Valentine’s Day.