Valentine’s Day points to a Greater Love.
Valentine’s Day, more often than not, mistakenly points people to a false love: the love of “love.” All day, we see photos of acts of love. Gifts given, sappy posts, cute photos, maybe engagements, etc. We see businesses capitalizing on the love of “love.” It makes many feel lonely, and upset that they don’t have a guy or girl to spend it with. Buuuuut, it shouldn’t be a day that points us to the desire for love, relationships, or marriage. It should point us to a greater love… Jesus. And it should lead to an abundance of joy and praise.
I want to walk through a few things, scriptures and hymns, that I am praying will lead to worship of the King who loves greater than any human ever could.
Revelation 19
Revelation 19, is nothing without first establishing why it is something.
We were wretched heathens, joyfully sinning against God. But 2000 years ago, the greatest act of love occurred.
“..Christ died of our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day..” (1 Cor 15:3-4) and ascended to Heaven, is reigning at the right hand of God, and is interceding for us daily.
He was “pierced for our transgressions… crushed for our iniquities…” (Isaiah 53) because we are full of sin. But He loved us, and undertook that wrath, so that “with His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53). Nothing is more loving than this.
Because this has happened, we can be saved by believing and trusting in this truth. When we repent and believe, we are made righteous in the sight of God. We are engrafted into His family and promise. And when we are engrafted, we become His bride.
We were made for a much better relationship and marriage. The marriage to the Lamb.
As we look at Valentine’s Day today, we should see how fleeting all of it is, and how lasting God’s Kingdom is. We should have eternity in view. Our eternity, is marriage to God.
We will be at the wedding feast, singing praises to Jehovah.
Because of Christ, we will be clothed “with fine linen, bright and pure” (Rev 19:8) because we have been washed by the blood from His wounds.
Come and Dine by Charles B. Widmeyer
This hymn is based on Revelation 19 and it is precious.
Because Christ loved us, and has saved us, we can joyfully rest in that, and sing with the saints:
“Soon the Lamb will take His bride
To be ever at His side,
All the host of heaven will assembled be;
Oh, ’twill be a glorious sight,
All the saints in spotless white;
And with Jesus they will feast eternally.”
This love is why we will be at the feast supping with our God.
Praise Him!
Jesus, Lover of My Soul by Charles Wesley
All morning, I have had this stuck in my head.
“To [Jesus] who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…” (Rev 1:5)
Because Jesus loves us, he is our haven and to whom we can draw near. (James 4:8)
Because Jesus loves us, he is our refuge, our bulwark. (Psalm 27)
Because Jesus loves us, we can cast all our cares in him. (Psalm 94:19)
Because Jesus loves us, we can find all of our needs. (Phil 4:19-20; Psalm 40:17)
Because Jesus loves us, we can find in him grace, healing, purity/holiness, and life. (1 John 1:511-12)
Other reflections and reminders
Because we know all of this to be true, may we rest in it, and be satisfied in Christ. Because it points to a greater love, we can say “I’d rather have more single Valentine’s days and have Christ, than to be in a relationship every year and not have Christ!”
Singleness is a gift. Like marriage is a gift, singleness is a sweet gift.
Our identity is not in “single” or “taken”. We cannot view life through that lens. Our identity is “wretched sinner, saved by a gracious God, and made into a child of the One True King.”
Do not fall prey to discontentment – find your contentment in Christ and not circumstances.
We can praise God for friendships! My friends and I pray for each other, weep for each other, and encourage each other. Intimate, deep, and loving! What a joy.
Just because we aren’t in an earthly marriage covenant, we are in a different covenant. Aside from being in a covenant with God because of Christ, we are in a covenant with believers. In the local church, we have covenanted together to love each other, serve each other, and stir each other up to love and good deeds. He has knit his children together through Christ’s blood.
Remember, this all points to something greater!
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All of these truths are such a sweet comfort. Rather than February 14th being a day that we try to begrudgingly fly through, trying to avoid the reminders that we are single, and falling into idolizing love and companionship, may we meditate on the truths and Word of God. Praising Him for the singleness and the love and companionship of Christ!