Valentine’s Day: The Love We Celebrate… and the Love That Saved Us

 


Valentine’s Day has a way of stirring something inside us.

Flowers. Chocolates. Cards with words we wish we had written ourselves. Candlelit dinners. Maybe a little friendly debate over who forgot to make reservations.

It’s a sweet day.
But if we’re not careful, it becomes only that — sweet.

And biblical love is far more than sweet.

The Love We Want… and the Love We’re Called To

We all love the idea of romance.

The butterflies.
The surprises.
The thoughtful gestures.
The “I still choose you” moments.

But Scripture paints a picture of love that is deeper than a dinner reservation.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13

Holy Bible

That’s not chocolate-box love.

That’s sacrificial love.

That’s cross-shaped love.

And that’s the love Jesus has for us.

The Love That Came First

Before we ever bought flowers…
Before we ever said “I do”…
Before we ever got marriage right (or wrong)…

God loved us.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

This is the part that changes everything.

Jesus didn’t love us when we were polished.
He didn’t love us when we were easy.
He didn’t love us when we deserved it.

He loved us first.

Valentine’s Day is fun — but Calvary was costly.

Marriage Is a Reflection

Here’s where it gets real.

Marriage was never meant to compete with God’s love.
It was meant to reflect it.

Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church — sacrificially, intentionally, patiently.

Wives are called to love and respect in ways that mirror grace and strength.

That means:

  • Choosing kindness when we’re tired.

  • Choosing patience when we’re frustrated.

  • Choosing forgiveness when we’d rather win the argument.

  • Choosing connection when life feels busy.

Valentine’s Day might give us one intentional day.

But biblical love gives us 365 opportunities.

A Little Valentine’s Fun

Let’s be honest for a moment.

Love isn’t always candlelight and violins.

Sometimes it’s:

  • Picking up your spouse’s favorite snack at the store without being asked.

  • Letting them control the remote (a true act of sacrifice).

  • Laughing about inside jokes no one else understands.

  • Texting “Drive safe” even though you’ve said it 5,000 times.

Those little things?

They matter.

Because love is not proven in grand gestures alone.

It’s proven in daily choices.

The Parallel That Matters

The love between husband and wife should echo the love of Christ:

  • Steady.

  • Faithful.

  • Forgiving.

  • Patient.

  • Protective.

  • Intentional.

Not perfect — but committed.

Jesus doesn’t wake up one day and decide He’s “just not feeling it.”

He doesn’t withdraw love because we failed.

He remains.

And when we model that kind of consistency in marriage, we preach a silent sermon to our children, our friends, and our world.

This Valentine’s Day…

Buy the flowers.

Eat the chocolate.

Go on the date.

But don’t miss the deeper truth.

The greatest love story isn’t the one that started on your wedding day.

It’s the one that started on a cross.

And when we let that love shape our marriage, Valentine’s Day stops being a single event — and becomes a lifestyle.

A Simple Valentine’s Prayer

Lord,
Thank You for loving us first.
Teach us to love our spouse with patience, sacrifice, and grace.
Help our marriage reflect the faithfulness You show us every day.
Let our love be steady, joyful, and rooted in You.
Amen.

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