Valentine’s Day 2011

Lol Valentine’s Day. It comes every year, and to some, its happyness day, to some it’s “the stupid marketing” day (aka. this day sucks) haha. I remember Valentine’s Day in elementary school. The teacher said that if we wanted to make cards for some girl, we would have to make cards for all the girls in the class. So i was like, aww man, this is going to suck. I found this really nice poem and I wrote it on a card for the girl that i liked. Then i was like crap, now for the 20 something other girls in my class… I actually just got really lazy, and I remember this, I wrote two verses from the book, Song of Songs, from the Bible for every girl in the class. Now that I read it, I don’t think it’s actually PG appropriate, but I don’t think I wrote down any of the weird verses. Haha, and I got so tired writing those cards, I don’t think I actually even cared whether the girl I liked had a reaction to my card the next day. My dad was even like, what are you doing?

I remember having crushes. haha. and when valentine’s day came along, I would think of something stupid to do, and mind you, I was still in elementary school. I don’t remember much now sadly.

I remember asking several girls in the past, elementary and middle school, if they would be my valentine, and i got turned down, every single one. So I’ve never actually had a successful Valentine’s Day, haha. I didn’t bother in high school, at least, I don’t remember bothering with it.

College rolls around. it’s funny, i saw on my friend’s gmail status – SADness day is coming up – or something like that. S(ingleness) A(wareness) D(ay) – very clever I must say. lol. It’s true, I’m still a dude, and I’m still affected to a certain degree by the culture around me. It’s not like I can choose to close my eyes and ears for a week when this time rolls around. I’m a guy, I like girls, lol, what can I say. God’s put beautiful things on my mind, and I believe women are one of the most beautiful gifts God’s blessed us men with. And all the lovey dovey stuff on tumblr goes up 10 times the usually amount haha.

But one thing hit me this week as I spent more time thinking about this whole Valentine’s day agenda. If I’m spending this much time thinking about a girl or a day dedicated to “love,” how much time am I spending with my lover Jesus and thinking about Him, talking with Him, listening to Him, and spending every day dedicating it to His ultimate LOVE?

John 14-15 has always stuck out to me as where Jesus tells us what our love relationship with Him should look like.

‘If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – The Spirit of truth.’ – John 14:15-17

‘Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.’ – John 14:21

These two verses have always stuck out to me a bit. Jesus says “if you love me, you will obey my commands” and “whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” These might seem like they’re saying the same thing but to me, by saying it this way, I can see that it’s an eternal loop basically. It tells me that we cannot have one without the other. If we want to love Jesus, we must do what He says, cuz that’s truly what love means, listening to the friends we love. And if we do what he says, we love him. haha sounds redundant doesn’t it?

I also love the promise that Jesus gives us. “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” If we love Jesus not only as our Savior and Lord, we also gain a brother and a Father in Heaven who will love us! Jesus will love us and show himself to us. Though in what ways and how can be a bit vague haha. But it’s a promise nonetheless!! and a freaking sicknastyawesome promise at that! haha The God of the Universe AND JESUS LOVING US! Can someone say 2 for 1 DEALL???!! Oh yea, and you can’t forget that God gave us the Counselor, the Holy Spirit! Can someone say 3 for 1 DEALLL??!!! WHAT WHAT?!  BEST VALENTINE’S DAY GIFTTTTTT EVAAAAA

But there’s more!

Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’ – John 14: 23

God and Jesus will make their home with us?! BALLERRRR

WHAT IS THE COMMAND?

‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you  friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. ‘ – John 15:9-17

I don’t know about you, but I’m lovin Jesus’ commands. It sounds pretty simple, the concept is at least. If we want to love Jesus, we love each other like Jesus loved us. If we love everybody, we love Jesus! BUT ITS NOT, cuz its so hard for us to love people. It’s not like we can look at everyone and say wholeheartedly and honestly that we love them and would be willing to lay down our life for them.  Jesus holds us to the highest standard of love, not just for our valentine, not just for our parents, our friends, our fellowship, but for EVERYONE.

Let’s love Jesus by loving each other, and love each other by loving Jesus

Happy Valentine’s Day