Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and it’s a booming business. The Day Of Love results in close to $14 Billion annually! That’s about an average of $117 per person. So what makes Valentine’s Day so special?

It’s obvious through such spending that Valentine’s Day is a huge market for business. While some would prefer to not even acknowledge the pink and red ephemeral hearts that appear everywhere to celebrate love there is a deep-seated desire to express love toward those whom are the objects of our affection. We express love with balloons, chocolate, jewelry, cards, flowers, clothes and the list goes on and on. We arrange dinners, surprises and make plans to dazzle, excite, and reignite the flame of love. We travel distances, send messages and make special appearances to convey the message of our unending, undying love. Reflecting on Valentine’s Day and this verse, Romans 5:8, brought a couple of things to mind.

God Demonstrated His Love.

It wasn’t enough for God to simply shout from heaven that He loved us. We would have called into suspect every word. Instead, God, Who is Love, gave of Himself, sending His only son to demonstrate that love. Jesus Christ, the epitome of Love, came and gave Himself as a demonstration of God’s Love for us. On Valentine’s Day, it’s one thing to tell your special loved one that you love them, but if it is not accompanied by some gift (or service) at some point in the relationship, the love will be questioned.

God’s communication of love was a demonstration of love.

God Sacrificed For Love.

To demonstrate this Love, God sent His son not only to show acts love by healing people, caring for the poor and needy, or accepting people as they were but to ultimately die for all people regardless of their state in life. God saw all people as objects of His affection and determined that all would be recipients of the ultimate sacrifice of His son. Because God loved, God gave. But this gift was not cheap or common. This gift was not your run-of-the-mill flowers or candy. No! This was a huge sacrifice of eternal proportions. God sacrificed His son to redeem us; to show us just how much He loved us.

We cannot say we love someone without giving something, namely ourselves, to them as an act of love.   

God Accepts Your Love.

This Valentine’s Day, many will go great lengths attempting to impress the people they love. This is not something we have to do with God. He eagerly awaits the smallest act of your love toward Him and cherishes the heart of your gift as long as it’s sincere and true. Oftentimes gifts and services are used to manipulate people, trying to contrive love to some degree. But with God, all pretense is gone. This Valentine’s Day, all God wants is for those who know they are “sinners” to come and know He loves them just as they are. The greatest gift of love anyone could give God this year is the acceptance of the Love He has for them. Then in response to His love, give themselves back to Him. We don’t love Him first but in response to His great love for us.  Apart from God, we are unable to fully love at all.

With God, we are able to fully accept and express His love to the fullest degree.

I hope this Valentine’s Day is filled with all the people you love. May God, Who is Love demonstrate His love through you and to you today.