Love is in the air

I am not a big fan of today.  As a perpetually single person, I've come to develop a bad attitude about Valentine's Day.  Seeing all the people around me get cards, candies, flowers and just love and attention showered upon them, can easily turn me into the valley of discontentment.

But not today.

Today, as I can feel and sense the love in the air around me, my mind has been consumed with God and His love.

It is absolutely amazing!

Without Him, I wouldn't even know love.  He is the very definition:

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."  1 John 4:8

"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

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

 Saying "I love you" can sometimes be an intimidating or a hard thing to say.  It can especially be hard when you say it to someone for the first time, especially if you are the first one to say it.  It can make you feel vulnerable and it raises the relationship to a different level.

But that's what God did.  He said "I love you" first. 

While we were yet sinners.

God put Himself out there.  He showed His love unashamedly, openly and He did it without expecting love in return.  In fact, He did it knowing that He wouldn't get the same love and devotion in return.

That kind of love is hard for me to understand because we are human, we all have a desire and a yearning to be loved.  But we are loved.  We are loved by the One who created love, defined love. 

One of my favorite verses of any hymn is the last verse of the Love of God:

Could we with ink, the ocean fill and were the sky of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.

Oh love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong.  

It shall forever more endure, the saints and angels song.

The skies could not contain the description of God's love.  It is measureless, boundless, pure, strong, enduring and has no end.  It is perfect and I am undeserving of it. 

So today, no matter if you are single or married or whatever, my greatest hope is that you know God and that you know His love.  Because He loves you.  He loves you so much that He gave His son for you.

Christian, be sure to show God some love today.  Hasn't He given you so much and is He not worthy of your love?

"We love him, because he first loved us."  1 John 4:19