Happy Valentine's Day!
Friday, February 14, 2025
“God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.” – Brennan Manning
Today is Valentine’s Day, when everyone’s hearts and minds turn to love. Well, not everyone, because there are many people in this world who have either never experienced genuine love or did so, but lost that special someone to death, divorce, dementia or some other tragedy. My heart goes out to them and my desire for them today is that the void that exists in their life would be filled by the perfect lover of our soul, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, He loves and accepts us just as we are (see today’s quote), but also loves us enough not to allow us to stay that way. Instead, He wants us to experience true freedom from sin, guilt, hurt, despair, and the other negative emotions and experiences of life.
Once we come to saving faith in Christ, there is only one way to prove that our love for Him is real. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” Jesus said in John 14:15. That means we have to be willing to give up our “pet sins” and exchange them for a life of obedience.
Matthew 16:24 reads, “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.’” That doesn’t sound like “easy believism” to me! On the contrary, it means “counting the cost” of true discipleship before commiting your life to Him (see Luke 14:28-33).
Far too often we hear false teachers sugercoat the gospel to attract a bigger audience and gain popularity. Some of them go so far as to dupe people into believing that after becoming a Christian, they can continue engaging in a sinful lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the truth.
With that being said, here are a few closing quotes – and a few closing verses – about true and unconditional love. Ironically, the quotes are by nonbelievers, so maybe that’s a lesson for us professing Christians.
“I'm cool with failing so long as I know that there are people around me that love me unconditionally.” – Dave Chappelle, comedian
“Kids need parents who love and support them unconditionally, full stop.” – Henry Rollins, singer
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." I John 4:7-8
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8
