No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13 HCSB

I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine’s Day and I hope that you have the opportunity to spend it with someone you love. There are many different kinds of love.  There is the love that you have for a close friend.  There is the love that you have for family. There is that ooey gooey love that you have for that someone special in your life.

But the love that God has for us is so different from anything we can ever experience with a human being.  For one thing, God’s love is perfect.  Now I won’t quote the whole chapter, but many people know 1 Corinthians chapter 13 as the love chapter.  It describes perfect love.

Our scripture passage today describes the greatest sacrifice that anyone can make for someone else.  God came to earth as Jesus being fully human and being fully God.  He laid down his life for you and for me.  Now that’s love, my friend, of the truest kind.

So, today as we celebrate that crazy little thing called love, don’t forget the love that God has for you.  Even if you don’t have someone to celebrate this holiday with you, know that you are loved and you are never alone.  Know that God is there for you.  You can call out to Him and trust in Him.

The kind of love that we celebrate today is that love that one human has for another.  Even with the best intentions, it doesn’t always work out.  No matter how much we trust someone or love someone things can go awry.  Often times this love is fickle.  It can be tied to certain circumstances.  Sometimes we fall in love because we feel that we have many things in common with the other person.  The things we have in common can change.  Our circumstances can change.  We can grow apart.

But God’s love never changes.  God’s love is constant.  And even while we are sinners, He loves us.  He may not love our sin, but He still loves us.

How could we ever repay so great a love?  Well, God tells us to love others.  In Matthew 6:14 we are told to forgive others.  We must remember, that like God, it is okay to hate the sin but we must love the sinner.  The greatest commandment is that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind.  Secondly, we are told to Love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

1 John 4:7 tells us that we are to love one another because love is from God.  It tells us that everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Verse 8 tells us that those who do not know love do not know God because God is love.  My prayer for you today is that you truly know love.

As you celebrate love today, take time to celebrate the greatest love.  Reciprocate that love by loving God back with all you have.  If you truly love Him, you will honor his command to love others.  Remember, when we think of love, we must think of God for there is truly no greater love.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!