Some Valentine Love That Lasts

Happy Valentine's Day! It's a day of flowers, chocolate, romance for many. For others it's a hard reminder of some things we may long for - true love. This can also be a time when one is grieving that the pain intensifies. But Valentine's love fades as we look beyond the expressions of one day to the true love we receive from God.

I Corinthians 13 is known as the 'love chapter' of the Bible. It describes love and what it looks like from the inside out. As Paul the author of this chapter talks about love, the Greek word he uses is agape - which describes a love that is based on the deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than the worthiness of the one who is loved. This kind of love goes against human inclination. It is a giving, selfless, expect-nothing-in-return kind of love. This love means determining what is best for another person and then doing it. This is the kind of love that God shows to us.

So wherever you find yourself today on the 'valentine scale' - feeling greatly loved by the expressions of the day, or that lacking, longing or loss, remember the love God has for you. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." He loves with an everlasting love that seeks our best. He will never leave us or forsake us. These are love promises from His Word that will last much longer than flowers or candy!

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