Valentine's Day

I wrote this a couple years ago. Some of you have read it. I’ve added to it and am re-posting it in hopes that it will encourage someone this Valentine’s week.

Valentine's Day is a day that many singles who aren’t “in a relationship” dread. They feel like everyone is celebrating something they don't have. Something they long for very much. They want to be special to someone... to be valued and loved. They watch others receiving attention and presents and they can't wait for the day to pass.

Even though I’ve never really had a “Valentine”, I’ve listed some of the most commonly exchanged Valentine gifts and guess what? My loving Savior has given me every one of them!

Flowers
They are beautiful and fragrant. There are so many kinds to choose from but can any of them compare to Jesus?
Song of Solomon 2:1, "I am a rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys."

Candy
It's sweet but nothing like God's Word.
Psalm 119:103, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

A Love Song
Sure, there are some moving love songs with powerful words that are sung by great voices. But, there is no way they are better than God singing over me! Who could possibly write better music and lyrics or sing more beautifully than God?
Zephaniah 3:1, "The Lord God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will exult over you with loud singing."

Romantic Dinner
There isn't a chef in any 5-star restaurant that can make a meal that will compare to the one I'll be sharing with Jesus some day.
Revelation 19:9, And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

True Love
The gift everyone wants if for somebody to always be there and to always love them. God's love is for eternity and He will never leave me!!
Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved you with an EVERLASTING love."
Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

If you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you have all these gifts too! You are IN Christ. These past few weeks, I’d been pondering the meaning of those two little words. I’ve used this phrase so often without thinking about its meaning. As God often does when He’s teaching me something, He tells me through multiple sources…probably because I’m so slow in getting it! So, yesterday I received an email on this very topic. I have permission from the author to copy and paste what he wrote, but I am not to use his name. Here it is:

"In Christ" -- what a loaded phrase. I have been marveling at the thought for more than a week now. The love, the fellowship, the promise, the belonging, the righteousness, the holiness, and the power that this little phrase communicates. It makes everything in this world, both that which is real and that which is imagined, pale in comparison. The very best that this world has to offer is vanity and chasing after the wind when set next to the eternal reality of our being "in Christ". He truly is the pearl of inestimable value and we, if we have an ounce of sense, should be "The Pearl" freaks. We should be so wowed by "The Pearl" and our being "in Him" that simply nothing else really matters. In Him alone do we find what we've been looking for, what we've been created for, and what we have become in the heavenly realms.

So, remember that when you are feeling left out or sad about Valentine’s Day…you are “In CHRIST”!!! Be encouraged!

And if you do have a special someone in your life, make sure your focus is on GOD and not your special person. Don't put anyone on the throne of your heart except for HIM.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!