Valentine’s Day in the light of the cross.

For some, February 14th isn’t the easiest day of the year.

But whether you’re happily married, sadly still single or stuck in a relationship that you wish you weren’t, whether you’re enjoying life on your own, ’just good friends’ with someone you hope one day to enjoy something more, or grieving the loss of the person you’ve spent a lifetime with, whatever your current ‘status’, I hope that this Valentine’s Day you’ll know what true love is.

That is to say, I hope you’ll experience the love of the God who is the God of love.

For in this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the justice satisfying, wrath absorbing, sin atoning, sacrifice for our sins. [1 John 4:10]

For God’s love is longer lasting than time itself – and stronger even than death. His love is not dependent on how lovely we might be – rather it is a reflection of how infinitely loving He is. And whilst His love keeps no record of wrongs, it does not ignore our faults. For God’s love deals with our shortcomings, making us the people we were always meant to be so that, unspoilt by sin, we can look forward to enjoying perfect and everlasting fellowship with Him.

So then, I for one am grateful that God’s love is patient and kind, that his love does not envy or boast and that his love bears all things, believes all things and hopes all things.

Furthermore I am grateful that, undeserving of it as I am, his love also endures all things – even death on a cross. For that is the extent of the love he has for me, giving his life for mine as he bore there the punishment that I deserved.

Which is why I will forever now rejoice, that God’s love never ends.

And I hope very much that you’ll join me.

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Related posts:

To read ‘A good heart these days is hard to find’, click here

To read ‘True Love’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here.

To read ‘Speaking in Tongues’, click here.