Come AGAIN

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:16 NKJV

Ah, yes - Valentine's Day! A superior example of extraordinary marketing ability! Now, lest you think I'm a cynic, I want to hasten to assure you that I believe in love because I believe in God! And I wholeheartedly believe in till-death-do-us-part love. I've witnessed it too many times in life to not believe it. I just don't buy into the world's version of happily-ever-after.

Life is hard, folks. Sometimes, you're not happy, but love is not about the flitting, fleeting feelings. Love is a committed choice. God is love and He chose His love for us over what He originally wanted to do - which was kill us all for the miserable, idol-worshiping, stiff-necked ingrates that we can be. How happy do you think Jesus was about being beaten beyond recognition and dying on a cross? He was not happy about that! Have you read about His time in the Garden of Gethsemane? It was not happy that put Jesus on the Cross. It was true love.

There is One who loves us enough to die for us. He's already done it. And someday, our Prince will come - AGAIN! As soon as He's done building our homes in glory and God, our Father says, 'Go get them.' Then we'll know true happily ever after.

Prayer:

Father,
           I pray for the scales to be ripped off so people can see what true love is. Help us to know the vast difference between happy and true love. Open our eyes to the Truth of Your Word. Reveal Yourself in it as we read to know You more. To know You better. To learn of love at its finest. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

RE: Valentine's Day

 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

1st John 4:9-11 NLT

Valentine's Day is celebrated the world over, as a day set aside to express our love to each other. They tend to focus on the romantic love of couples, which can cause dismay for some, but certainly doesn't hurt the commercialization of the day. According to Statista.com, this year's planned Valentine's Day spending in the United States alone was expected to reach approximately 24 BILLION US dollars! That boggles the mind! "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" laughing all the way to the bank...

I taught my children to celebrate the love of friendships and family. In doing so, no one is left out of love. It is what Jesus called us to do. Read it again, Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 

I hope you've had a happy Valentine's Day. 💗

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for loving us enough to send Your only Son to pay the price for our sins so we could be reconciled to You. Teach us to love others as You have loved us. Help us to walk in mercy and grace toward others and in Your true love. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen