Love 2026

How does it make you feel when someone tells you they love you? Pretty good I’d say. With Valentine’s Day just passed, I’m sure we’ve heard this word a lot. However, love is a strange word. Webster defines love as: “An intense feeling of deep affection.”. But another definition is: “A great interest and pleasure in something.”. Two very different meanings. The first is usually directed to a person, the second to a thing. We love our spouse, kids, family and friends but we also say we love our phone, sports team, car, house, job, school, etc. But there is another kind of love that surpasses all this. You know where I’m going.

The Love of God. We cannot understand the love that God has for us. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). He loved us when we were against Him and He loves us as Christians when we sin. “Nothing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39). There’s nothing we can do that will cause God to love us any less or any more. God loves us! We’re His kids. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1).

Do we love God? “Well sure!” we might say. But is it that “intense feeling of deep affection” or is it like we love our stuff? And how about how we love other people? Jesus said, ^“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. -And- Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31). “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8). We have to love! It may sound silly, but God may be saying to you, “I love you, would you be my valentine?” Let’s love God and show it to others this week and every week. “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:26).