THURSDAY February 14, 2019
Valentine’s Day
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
John 15:13
Historically, Valentine’s Day––or as some still refer, Saint Valentine’s Day––has its first origins in a historical account of martyrdom. The story is told of a Roman priest named Saint Valentine. The Roman Empire, during the reign of Claudius II, banned soldiers from marriage if they had not fulfilled their military duties and persecuted Christians. Valentine assisted them both; he performed marriages against the order of the state and aided Christians.
Valentine was then imprisoned, tortured and beaten. Finally, he stood before the Emperor and refused to renounce his Christian faith. Valentine was beheaded on February 14, 269 A.D. Since then, the Christian Church has set aside February 14, as a day to commemorate Saint Valentine.
However, it was thought that Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet from 14th century England, was attributed with modernizing the version of Saint Valentine’s Day to express romantic love. During this medieval period when men treated women with chivalry and courtly love, on Valentine’s Day they gave them love notes and flowers. Valentine’s Day has spread all over the world to become a happy occasion in which love is still expressed by the giving of cards, candy and flowers.
Yet God has ultimately shown us His divine love through the sacrifice of His own Son––Jesus Christ: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life(John 3:16). Jesus Christ, for our salvation and forgiveness of sins, died a brutal death. The Romans tortured, mocked and crucified Him. Knowing that Jesus demonstrated His love towards you in such a sacrificial way, what do you think should be your response towards Him?
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
~1 John 4:10~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
