Amazing Love

     Today is Valentine's Day.  This is the 29th time I have celebrated it with my wife (we were engaged for the first one).  I love her and am grateful to God for the partner he has given me for this journey called life.  Some seasons have been difficult; some, joyful.  I am glad we have been through them together.  I also tend to think about my love for my children, and my extended family on Valentine's Day.  I don’t think that “love makes the world go ‘round,” like the old song said, but I sure am thankful that God has given us the opportunity to love and be loved while we are traveling along our road in life.

     While you are likely giving your attention to your "sweetheart" today, I want to remind you again about God’s love for you.  Or, perhaps, I am speaking to someone without a sweetheart.  For whatever reason, this day doesn't hold much meaning to you (maybe some pain).  Regardless; I'd like to take a few minutes of your time to talk about the love relationship that God has with you personally, if you are one of His.  Let me do a quick exposition of I John 3:1 to explain what I mean.  It says: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (NIV)

1)      “Great” – This is a word of magnitude.  The childhood prayer is “God is great, God is good…”  I wonder if we have really thought much of what it means when our great God does something that is “great” toward us.  The magnitude of what God does when it is called “great” far exceeds the magnitude of something I do; even if it is called “great.”

2)      “Love” – This is that familiar kind of love that seeks the highest good in another person regardless of any reciprocal benefit on the part of the person doing the loving.  In my relationship of love with God I, by far, get the better end of the bargain.

3)      “The Father has lavished” – What a wonderful, descriptive word for God’s gift of love.  He lavished it on me!  Picture someone giving you a gift of cash that has to be dumped out of a truck for it all to be contained.  Picture yourself practically swimming in mounds of 50 and 100 dollar bills.  It is all around you; everywhere you look you see mounds of cash.  Just when you climb to the top of one pile, there is another.  An extreme example, to be sure, but not unlike the generosity with which God has loved us.

4)      “Called children of God” – Outside of the relationship of a husband and wife, I know of no greater love relationship than that of a parent with their child.  I have four kids, and no one on this earth besides my wife has the focus of my attention and love more than them.  Each has a unique relationship with me and I can truly say that I love each of them with all of my heart.  When I apply that to my Heavenly Father’s love for me, I sit back in wonder and amazement.  There is a unique bond between me and my Father.  We have a special relationship that is unique from all others that God has on this earth.  It doesn’t matter that God has millions of kids…He loves me so wonderfully that He openly announces that I am His child!

Seems almost too good to be true, doesn’t it?  The best part about it is that it’s not just theological chatter.  It is true and ought to affect me to the core of my being.  “Thank you, Father, for giving me the immense privilege of being your son.  Thank you for the special relationship that we share together.  Help me to really understand how great your love is…and to take some time to enjoy it today.”