Feb 14, 2018 – Mark 4
Others hear the word;
but the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for things
choke the word, making it unfruitful. Mark 4:18-19
Don't let temporary desires
steal your blessing from His eternal Word.
Valentine’s Day is an annual holiday centered on love. It’s a day in the year when many people take
time to express loving sentiments to each other, often in the form of cards,
gifts, flowers, a meal, or other forms of kindness. Yet it often ends up being more about
fulfilling our desires than sharing our love.
The truth is that love is less about kind expressions and more about
unseen actions. Love is not about
flowers, but about brightening up a room.
It is not about chocolates, but offering sweet words when poor attitudes
are present. Love gives gifts, but not
with the anticipation of response. Love
is more often seen in making a person’s lunch than buying a person dinner. Long after Valentine’s Day is over, love will
still be going strong, while the flowers will have wilted and chocolates rotted.
The Bible is a Valentine’s Day love letter to all of us from
God Himself. Every chapter is filled
with God’s story to show us His love and desire for our best. Yet so often, people hear the words and
ignore them, preferring the chocolates and flowers that this world offers. The deception of sentimentality can draw our
ears and hearts away from true love toward the temporary substitute.
That deception is our greatest challenge in America these
days. We are drawn to the chocolates
& flowers of life, and ignoring the true love letter from God. The worries and wealth are rotting God’s
seed, and leaving behind a whole lot of empty lives. Sure, it smelled & tasted great when we
received them, but the flowers & chocolates are not love. What we need is a new perspective. What we need is true love.
I hope you enjoy Valentine’s Day this year – not because you
feel loved and cherished by the gifts or experience, but because you KNOW you
are loved by God Himself. I hope you
celebrate that love by offering true love to your family – the love that comes
from sacrifice and service that honors God.
And if you’re married, I hope you do enjoy Valentine’s Day as a reminder
of this special gift that God gave us when He created Eve for Adam. But don’t let that be one day wrapped in
sentimentality. Let Valentine’s Day
remind you to turn back to the true love that only comes from God. Let it be a day you start a fresh longing for
His Love Letter to you. Let it be a day
you rededicate yourself to the one who loves you forever.
May you be filled with the fruit of love from His Word.
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