Valentine's Day

Another year has passed and another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. There is a great variety of responses regarding such a day. For some people, it celebrates a life of joy and loving fulfilment. For some, it is totally irrelevant, with no meaning at all; for others, it is a day of great expectation. For others, it is a day which once brought delight but now it passes them by. For some, the words received and expressed had no practical outcome and resulted in sadness and  disappointment. So the day itself now brings reminders of words without action; of declarations of love which were later withdrawn; of promises made which were subsequently shattered; of joy-filled hopes and wonderful dreams destroyed; of a heart irretrievably broken; of relationships that no longer exist. Life brings a mixture of joyful, grateful memories, but also of sadness and heartbreak.

Today, we see hearts everywhere … in advertising … on social media … e-mails … messaging … WhatsApp … greetings cards etc. As well as expressing love and emotion, hearts are used to show a thankful and caring response to what others may have said or done.

How we express our love reveals a lot about who we are and what we think. Some of us are quite open and bold whilst others are more reserved. But how effective are we in communicating our thoughts and feelings?  And do our actions reflect or deny our words? For surely, any expression of love should be more than words and images, but must be clearly demonstrated in action, care and compassion.

Who faithfully delivers? Who reliably, consistently and dependably can be trusted to act on their words?

There is only One Person, the Lord God Almighty.  In His Word, the Bible, we read that He is:

“The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin”

I know of nothing that brings more comfort, safety, security and healing of brokenness than those wonderful words, penned so long ago but which are amazingly still true today for all, who in humility put their faith and trust in our Sovereign Creator. Do you know Him and the truth of His words?

For God did not just give us words, but showed us His great love in action that is effective today and lasts for eternity. I rejoice in the truth of the following words from the Bible, which I continue to experience and enjoy enormously:

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us

God demonstrates His own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

The Lord God, our heavenly Father, keeps His promises, for His loving actions prove His Word.

What does God’s love mean to you? Is God’s love irrelevant? … Are you ignoring God’s love? … 

Are you experiencing and enjoying God’s love, knowing that this is the first fruits of all eternity?

“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds”

You too can know our Heavenly Father’s wonderful and compassionate love today.

 

Ron Brickman

Powered by Church Edit