Valentine’s Day According to Jesus

Valentine’s Day isn’t just one day a year to celebrate your romantic relationship with your significant other. To me, it is a day that represents what every day should look like: living each day with outward love like Jesus did. The Bible does not talk about the shallow love that marketers advertise, but rather real, genuine, self-sacrificing, grace-extending love. God wants every single one of us to exude this kind of love in all of our relationships.

Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful day to express your love for others. However, in today’s world, sometimes the expression of love is a bit backwards. Love might be described by what someone does for us, or maybe how they make us feel, or how they make our lives better. The Bible tells us that love is not about getting. Instead, it is about giving without expecting to get something in return.

This Valentine’s Day I would encourage you to not just express your love by giving a card, chocolate, flowers, or a ring. Of course you can make the day special, but focus more on making your relationships special throughout your life.

The ultimate act of love is this: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13. This is exactly what Jesus did for us. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your loved ones, but don’t stop when the day is over.

Here are some perfect Bible verses about love:

1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not boast, it does not become conceited, it does not behave dishonorable, it is not selfish, it does not become angry, it does not keep a record of wrongs, it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…& now these three things remain: faith, hope, & love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 John 4:16-18: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, & God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”

Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind.’ This is the first & greatest commandment. & the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

For me, I don’t have a significant other in my life at this time. But that’s okay!! This doesn’t mean that I’m going to complain about it or hate Valentine’s Day. Instead, I’m going to spend the day with my church family, sorority sisters, and best friends.

Reconcile your family relationships, strengthen your friendships, do whatever it is you need to do to show genuine love like Jesus did.

(If you, too, are single this Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to read my post “Truths About Being Single.”)

Loyally,

Lindsey

 

“CHRIST”mas

Do you or your family have any favorite holiday traditions? Maybe you get to open one present on Christmas Eve, go to a Christmas church service, or decorate Christmas cookies. Ever since I can remember, my family has stuck with one tradition: reading the Christmas story on the night of Christmas Eve. The four of us sit together in front of the fire, reading the greatest story ever to exist, & then pray together as a family. All of these traditions are great, but do they relate to the entire point of Christmas, which is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ?

The world we live in today is a world of fear, persecution, war, & terrorism. It’s a world where people are only concerned about themselves or the material things they have. It’s a world where Christmas becomes an annual holiday that is centered on giving & receiving presents. A time that you get a break from school or work. A time to bum around the house, drink hot chocolate, & go play in the snow.

It’s so common now to dismiss the truth of Christmas, or at least bury it under the bustle of Christmas shopping, present time, & good food. The real meaning of Christmas is not the presents under the Christmas tree, the lights shining in your windows, the Christmas cards you get in the mail, the turkey dinners with your family & friends, the snow falling outside, the stockings hanging in your living room, or the shouts of “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” from the people you pass at the mall. With every passing year, we’ve made this holiday about us, when in reality it’s all about Him. As Christians, I feel that we, too, fall into the pattern of “holiday spirit” because of all the joys of Christmas, all while diminishing the importance of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

What about the people who can’t afford to buy their children presents? Or the people whose loved ones are out fighting for our country’s freedom? Or the families who wish they could have a turkey dinner for once? While the majority of us are enjoying the season of great joy, some face a time of sorrow. But, this time of year can bring you renewed strength & healing.

Christmas is the time of celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus. God sent His one & only Son into the world so that those who receive Him will have their sins forgiven, be called His children, & have everlasting life with Him in Heaven. This birth brought the greatest joy to our lost world. The shepherds in the fields, the wise men from afar, & the Heavenly host of angels all shared in the excitement of knowing about the birth of a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

For those who might not know the Christmas story very well, or might not have access to a Bible, or just want to re-read the greatest story of all time, here is the passage from Luke 2:4-19:

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house & line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him & was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, & she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths & placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. & there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, & the glory of the Lord shone around them, & they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths & lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the Heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God & saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, & on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.’ When the angels had left them & gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem & see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off & found Mary & Joseph, & the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, & all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things & pondered them in her heart.”

I had the amazing opportunity to go to Israel. While I was there, I visited Bethlehem & got to see the Shepherd’s Field & the cave where baby Jesus was born. The Shepherd’s Field is believed to be the place where the angels spoke to the shepherds about Jesus’s birth. It is pictured as the “featured image” in this post. In the cave, I saw the spot where it is believed Jesus was born. It is marked with a 14-point star, representing the 14 generations from Abraham to King David. I also saw the spot in the cave where it is believed Mary & Joseph put the manger.

birth spot of baby Jesus

where the manger was placed

WOW! God sent His Son into a cruel world so that one day He would grow up & bring salvation to every single one of us! This story is full of truth, love, & hope. Without Jesus, all of us would die in our sins. Jesus was born on earth to pay the price for all our wrong actions. God promised to forgive us of our sins, no matter what the sin is. All you have to do is turn to Jesus in faith. Confess your sins & you will be washed as white as snow. Our sins were nailed to a cross, dead, & buried.

So, you can truly be happy this Christmas. No matter what is going on, remember that you are His child. Be filled with His joy & peace this Christmas season. Remember that Jesus really is the ONLY reason for the season. Rejoice in Him & have a very “Merry Christmas!”

Loyally,

Lindsey

 

Give Thanks

Like I have said before, & will continue to say, God is SO good & SO sovereign that He deserves all our thanksgiving & praise!

With so much going on during this holiday season, I encourage you all to take a second & just truly be THANKFUL. So many people in our world today are surrounded by fear, persecution, war, & terrorism, & that is their reality every single day. This Thanksgiving, I invite you all to find JOY in Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving is a time for togetherness. It is an opportunity to spend time with the ones we love. It is a time for cherishing, remembering, & just being thankful for all the GOOD things we have been blessed with.

Yes, we should be thankful for all our material blessings – the food on our table this Thanksgiving & the family we are surrounded by, but the GREATEST source & object of our gratitude should be our Heavenly Father, for giving us His one & only Son in order that those who receive Him will have their sins forgiven, be called His children, & have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.

Let’s PRAY for those bounded in fear & surrounded by senseless acts of terrorism. Let’s not forget what Jesus Christ has done for us. Let’s be content with where God has us. Let’s find an overwhelming sense of JOY in Christ.

Here are some Bible verses for us to meditate on this Thanksgiving season:

1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. I know how to get along with humble means, & I also know how to live in prosperity; in any & every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled & going hungry, both of having abundance & suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, & in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with song, & shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.”

Psalm 95:1-6 “O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our Salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, & a great King above all gods, in Whose hand are the depths of the earth; the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it; & His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship & bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”

1 Chronicles 16:8 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples.”

I pray that each & every one of you who reads this post is filled with many blessings & love this Thanksgiving season. Enjoy fellowship with loved ones & most of all, FILL YOUR BELLIES WITH ALL THE YUMMY FOOD!

Loyally,

Lindsey