We tend to focus on our loved ones here on earth when Valentine’s Day comes around. What about our Heavenly Father? He should be at the top of our list of Valentines.
My Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gave His love to us before anyone did. He brought us to life, touched our hearts, and gave us the power of choice. We should choose, without having to consider, that He receive our love first. Our Valentine Lord looks upon us with the utmost of love and compassion. He shares with us when we are too selfish or greedy to put Him first. He touches us when we whine and complain, when we pray for forgiveness, and when we feel there is no love left for us from anyone. He offers a love that is everlasting.
Yes, today should be an easy day for us indeed. A day to humble ourselves and gracefully bow before our first Valentine of all. Lift up your hearts, pour out your thankfulness, and open your arms to receive the Almighty Love.
It’s all well and good to give gifts and cards to our loved ones. We should be grateful and should show them that we care. For us, seeing is believing. Everyone wants to be accepted and hugged, kissed and shown love. It’s not a bad thing to want to lift the spirits of the people in our lives. We were given these priceless gifts by God. Of course He wants us to show our appreciation to them as well as to Him. Read 1John 4:8 “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

Other scriptures that remind us of God’s love and how He wants us to love (yes, loving God also means loving the way He wants us to love others) are:
1John 4:10, 1John 4:20, Leviticus 19:18, Luke 6:27 There are more scriptures, of course, just look in your concordance in your Bible under the word “love”.
Although it is usually John 3:16 that is the focus of how God loves us, He also shows us His love in many other ways. Sometimes these ways are subtle and seem more like punishment than love. Have you ever been late to work only to realize that if you hadn’t been late you could’ve been in a wreck? Have you ever prayed for something you didn’t get only to realize later why it was better that you didn’t get it? Have you ever been hurt by someone who told you a blatant truth you didn’t want to hear only to realize later that the person was right and your life has improved because of it? Sometimes when we think God must hate us, we need to remember that we are seeing our present selfish desires, not the long-reaching wisdom and love of our Lord.
Human love can be blind. God’s love is never blind. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So, today I say, “Happy Valentine’s Day, God! Thank you for knowing me best.”