Always New

Colossians 3:10 "and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."

It's a fact of life, that all the stuff we have gets worn out with use and over time.  My favorite jeans, shoes, t-shirt, whatever I have and use will eventually lose its newness and fade away.  It's great fun having all of our post Christmas new things, but they aren't new for long.  Nothing can be new forever, in fact the instant you first use it, it is no longer new.

You might be wondering if I'm depressed going on about everything getting old, and worn out, and faded....but I'm not!  In fact my pondering the old and new has gotten me pretty excited.

My thoughts were triggered by the fact that a new year is upon us, and there is all the annual talk about resolutions and new starts, about getting rid of the old and beginning anew.  Of course as I hear all of this, I'm reminded of what I already stated, what is new will soon be old.  But the exciting part to me is this:  There is one thing that never gets old and is in continual renewal, that is our relationship with the Lord.

How exciting it is to understand what a living and vibrant relationship with God brings about.  Just think about all that is new in Jesus....we have been given a new song (Psalm40:3); we are given new mercies every morning (Lamentations 3:23); a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19); a new heart (Ezekiel 18:31); we are new creations, and all things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17); and this is all in Jesus, the new a living way Hebrews 10;20).

It is a fact of our spiritual lives in Jesus, that our outward man may be perishing, but our inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).  How great is it, that in Christ we aren't getting older, we are just getting newer everyday.  Make it your resolution to work on your relationship with Jesus, which will forever be new.  Happy New Year.

Joy To The World

Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth"

The shock of the shootings in Connecticut hasn't worn off, and with every new story and picture the ache returns.  The fact that this evil came upon little ones causes the grief to linger.  I must keep reminding myself that our prayers for the families and people of Newtown are effectual, so it is important to keep praying.
I was talking to someone who said that the shooting had robbed them of their Christmas joy.  I had to agree because I felt much the same way.  Not long after that conversation I was in the car listening to a Christmas music station.  I have to admit I was pretty numb to some of the old traditional songs, Frosty, Silver Bells, and Rudolph, didn't do too much for me.  When I was about to switch stations the hymn "Joy to the World" came on and it set my focus right and the joy returned.  It was the third verse that struck a chord within me...."No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground, He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found."
With all the evil that we are bombarded with we are constantly reminded that we are living in a fallen world that is under a curse brought on by our own sins.  The words of that third verse reminded me why we sing Joy to the World.  The world desperately needs a savior, and God sent us one, oh what joy, the Savior born in Bethlehem has come!
We often feel like strangers in this world, and I guess we should, because it's not our true home.  But let's not get a hard heart toward the world.  Just think of how much our perfect and holy Jesus was a stranger here, yet He gave of Himself completely for this worlds salvation.  We have been given the only message of hope for this world, and now it rings more true than ever.  Don't let evil rip off your Christmas joy, when it gets dark share the message that brings light, the Savior has come to end the curse and ban all evil.  Joy to the World!

Make Haste

Luke 2:16 "And they made haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."

So it's December 3rd and we are now fully immersed in the Christmas season.  I'm watching my calendar fill up quickly and already I'm feeling like the season will fly by before I can sit down and enjoy it.  It's the season to hurry and make haste, but too often the haste is for the wrong reason.  I think my tendency is to do Christmas stuff but miss Christmas.

On the very first Christmas the shepherds hurried and made haste like we do now, but they made haste for the right reason.  They had been told of the birth of our glorious Savior and dropped everything and made haste to Bethlehem where the sought after and found Jesus.  You will never miss the true joy of Christmas if you follow the example of the shepherds, and make haste to seek after the Lord.

It is still early enough in the season to set the right priorities.  Make sure to set aside enough time to rejoice in, and glorify our wonderful King.

Fatih and Gratitude

Colossians 2:7  "rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."

We are not naturally a thankful people.  In fact our natural bent toward pride and being self-centered, makes us pretty cranky and ungrateful.
Notice in the above verse the connection between faith and thanksgiving.  When one gives their life over to Jesus, and begins to live a life of faith and dependence upon Him, a supernatural change takes place, and one of the great fruits of that change is a heart of thanksgiving.
The more one is rooted, built up, and established in Christ, the more abounding in thanksgiving they will be.  Thanksgiving is not a forced behavior, it is a heart felt gratitude, coming from a changed life and perspective because of Jesus.
The key for us this Thanksgiving is not to dwell on forcing thankfulness, but instead to focus on a solid loving relationship with Jesus, and as we do, we will abound with thanksgiving every day.

Election Day

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.  And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding."  Daniel 2:20-21

Election day if finally here!  No more ads, no more polls, no more debates, no more parsing every sentence from the candidates, and no one knows who will win today!  Not matter which candidate you might be pulling for it has been a roller coaster ride the last couple of months.  We have been bombarded by conservative and liberal pundits spewing out trends and numbers trying to predict the election outcome.  And finally today it will be answered....we hope.

Though we don't know the results of the election yet, I have already set in my mind what I will do tomorrow.  No matter who wins I will get up for my early morning run.  While on my run I will praise the One and only King of kings and Lord of lords, who is seated upon His eternal throne, sovereign and powerful.
Isn't is wonderful that our hope does not rest in the outcome of elections or the government of man.  Our hope is in our Lord Jesus, and all of history is moving toward, and lining up for His glorious return.  Let's all find peace knowing that however the election turns out, it will fit perfectly in the sovereign plans of our gracious God.

Celebrating Evil?

"And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."  John 3:19

As a kid I enjoyed Halloween, not for the costume dressing up part, but for the candy part.  My friends and I would sprint from house to house to get as much candy as we could.  I can still picture the pile of candy on the kitchen table that I would joyfully sort through.
I have always known that the holiday was about ghosts and witches and vampires, but never really focused on the evil.  Even after becoming a Christian I didn't think on the dark side of Halloween, I just sort of ignored it.  As parents we would usually take our kids out to dinner and a movie and let the day just pass by.
As the days we live in have gotten darker I have had a harder time with Halloween.  I guess it still doesn't bother me if you carve a pumpkin or dress up the kids and get candy.  My struggle comes with the idea of celebrating evil or making light of darkness, as if it were cute.  There is nothing worth celebrating in real evil, and nothing cute about true darkness.  Our Jesus died to destroy evil, He was crucified to rid us of darkness, and we should never ever take that lightly.
So have fun carve a pumpkin and get some candy, but as you do that, stop and remember the great sacrifice of our God.  Let this day be a day of remembrance of the hope we have in Jesus, for because of His cross the day will soon come when evil and darkness will be banished forever!

True Power

"Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, who will bring them down to the earth with His hand."  Isaiah 28:2 

I heard a television commentator describing the importance of our upcoming election.  He said that the candidates were battling to see who would hold the most powerful office in the world.  He wasn't making a huge exaggeration, we all understand that the President of the United States is a powerful position.
Amazingly a week before this historic election, our east coast, including Washington D.C., is bracing to be pounded by hurricane Sandy.  This huge storm being nicknamed Franken-storm, is 700 miles wide and packing powerful winds and rain.  The biggest fear seems to be the storm surge which is predicted to be 8 to 10 feet.
Think about it, at a time when our nation is fixed upon the election of a man who will hold tremendous power, we are all being reminded of true power, and who holds that power.  I don't think the timing of Franken-storm is an accident, I believe the Lord is once again reminding us to get our focus off of man and back on Him.
Let's remember to be praying for those who will be affected by this powerful storm.  And let us also be praying that the church and our nation will repent, awaken, and turn to our God, who holds all power.

The First

Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the last."

Every once in a while it's good to stop and ponder "deep" things, I call it wow thinking.  It's a good thing to wonder about the vastness of our God, who is too great to ever fully comprehend, and as we do consider Him and how boundless He is, we are brought to a place of humility and worship.
I've on a number of occasions short-circuited my brain trying to grasp that God is eternal.  My mind can only think back so far and then it shorts out wanting to have a beginning.  And then I can only think forward so far and my mind wants to have and end.  Because our minds are finite we can't fully fathom having no beginning or end and thus the short-circuit.  We all have our limits when it comes to the finite trying to understand the infinite.
We can really only scratch the surface when it comes to discovering the vastness of our infinite Jesus.  How many seminary classes would it take just to get a little understanding of Jesus as: "the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last"?
Revelation 22:13 is a deep deep verse, and while we may not understand all the it conveys about Jesus, the simple powerful truth comes through loud and clear.....everything is all about Jesus!  He is first, preeminent, above all, first in the Word, first in redemption, first in our salvation and sanctification, first as King and Lord over all.
Though we can never fully comprehend Jesus, I'm not saying we shouldn't stop and learn and wonder at the vastness of our Savior, in fact we ought to make it our aim to study Him until that day we see Him.  But the most important thing for us is not that we come to and intellectual understanding of what it means that Jesus is the First, but that we personally make Him First.
Is your life all about Jesus?  Have you made Him first in your heart, and thoughts and affections?  Have you made Him Lord above your plans and dreams?  Is He preeminent in your Life?  Now those are deep questions that require wow thinking.  May we all consider who Jesus is and give Him His rightful place in our lives.

Are You Awake?

"Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." Ephesians 5:15

We have come again to another 9/11 anniversary, and it's hard to grasp that it has been 11 years since that fateful day.  Though I understand that it is important to remember, I still find it hard to see the pictures and watch the news programs recalling that day.  I'm sure we all share the same dull ache that 11 years hasn't erased.
Do you remember how 9/11 awakened the church for a short season?  Church attendance was up, Bibles were being worn out, prayer meetings were packed, and many hearts were stirred and waiting upon the Lord.  It was as if an alarm clock went off and the church was awakened and was sincerely seeking the Lord.  Sadly, it didn't take long for us to hit the snooze button and go back into a slumber.
It seems to be in our nature to have short spiritual attention spans, we have quick spurts of being "on fire", and brief seasons of spiritual discipline, then we are lulled or distracted and wane in our walks.
The day calls for us to be wide awake, these are not days to be caught snoozing.  We are to arise and be alert and ready, we need to be consistent and steady in our relationship with the Lord.
We should not need a 9/11 type event to wake us up, the alarm is still blaring!  We should be bright eyed as we consider the Lord's soon return.  Do you feel like nodding off?  Give ear to the cry of the Spirit, "awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead."

Stayed or Distracted?

"You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon You, because he trusts in You"
  Isaiah 26:3

Last week we held our church Vacation Bible School in a local park.  It was my joy and challenge to teach first and second graders.  The joy part was the open hearts and energy of these young ones, the challenge was to keep their attention, especially outdoor in a very busy park.
On one occasion I was making an extremely important point and it seemed all the children were tracking with me.  A girl raised her hand and I called on her and waited for a deep heartfelt question.  I didn't get a question, but a comment, she pointed to the left of our group and told us that a dog over there just went potty.  Every head turned, some laughed, some said gross, and I lost all of them.  The girl wasn't trying to distract, or cause the other children to stumble, she was being a first grader and her attention was drawn away, her mind was not stayed.  Frankly we expect that from young children in a busy park, and the dog was pretty big!
I have to wonder if the Lord looks at us like we are first and second graders.  We are so easily and quickly distracted and drawn away from being stayed upon Him.  It can be by trials or joys, but it seems far to simple for us to turn away and lose our focus on the Lord.
Stayed means to be fixed or established, to rest upon or lean on.  The Lord's promise is to keep us in His perfect peace when we are stayed upon Him.  Have you been distracted?  Has your attention been drawn away from the Lord?  Set your focus back on the One who brings perfect peace.
 

Happy Dependence Day

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  John 8:36

Some of my fondest memories of the Fourth of July go back to my childhood days.  All of the families on East Santa Fe street in Fullerton, would close down the street for a huge block party.  It was wonderful, we had tons of burgers, and hot dogs, corn on the cob, water balloons, and baseballs.  If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can almost catch the sweet smell of the grills mixed with the powder from the fireworks.  I haven't been to a block party for many years, but I still love the Fourth and all it stands for.
As we enjoy the trappings of the Fourth, it is important to remember with thanks, the boldness and courage of our forefathers, who at great cost declared our independence from England.  So, be patriotic, fly the flag and celebrate the liberties and freedoms of this blessed land.
As the Fourth stirs us to celebrate our freedoms, it is important to also remember greatest freedom of all, that freedom purchased for us by Jesus Christ.  On this holiday we will speak of freedom and connect it to our independence.  Our truest freedom is very much opposite of that, for our real freedom comes not from independence, but from total dependence upon Christ.
On the day that we call Independence Day and celebrate the freedom of a nation, let us also remember the greatest freedom of all and declare once again our dependence upon Jesus.
Happy Dependence Day!

Call Me Dad

"...but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

I played catch on Sunday for the first time in a long time, and two days later my shoulder is a bit sore.  The playing catch was part of our Father's day celebration and I totally loved it.  I couldn't keep from smiling as I remembered the joy of many hours of playing catch with my kids as they grew up.  The only sad part for me, is that years ago my shoulder never hurt a couple of days after playing catch!
The day got me thinking about the call of fatherhood and what a great privilege it is.  As I was pondering fatherhood a thought struck me that at first didn't seem like a big deal, but then I realized it might be a big deal after all.  It hit me that my children have always called me Dad.  They have never called me "Father", or "Sir", or "Pastor", or "Your Highness", they have always called me Dad.  It might not seem to be a big deal to you, but to me it speaks of a closeness of relationship, a familiarity, a friendship.  There was no doubt that I took the role of Father, with authority and headship in the home, but they called me Dad, and I would feel odd if they called me anything else.
A reflection of God's heart for us is that He would have us to know Him as Father, and even more as Abba, or Dad.  As Father we know Him as that One to whom we submit to, as He guides, protects, and even disciplines us.  As Dad He would have us know Him intimately in warmth and communion, One who we might even have fun playing catch with.
As a Dad my heart is melted to think that the God of the universe desires to have a Dad type relationship with me.  I wonder what joy we forfeit when we fail to cultivate a loving, close, familiar friendship, with or wonderful Heavenly Dad.  Today take the time to sit with Him, know His voice, enjoy His presence, and rest in His care.

Hearing In The Storm

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind"  Job 38:1

I would much rather that I would best be able to hear God speak in the calm sunny circumstances of life.  I know that God does speak to me in the calm sunny circumstances of life, but I'm not so sure I'm always listening.  It seems that I hear Him most clearly and listen most attentively when He speaks to me out of the storm.
It appears to be in our nature, that when the way is easy we look less to God and get lackadaisical in our communion with Him.  When the way is wide and flat, the breeze is cool upon our face, and there are no blisters on our feet, our tendency is to become self-sufficient.  We love the easy way, but can easily be in error as we get it in our heads that we can make this journey on our own, by our own strength.
When the way turns and gets narrow and steep, when the whirlwind batters us, our legs are aching and we are not able to go on.  A good thing happens, we remember that we are insufficient, we cry out to the Lord, and our ears are open and attentive even straining to hear the Lord speak.  We all instinctively know that it is in these stormy seasons that we draw most near to the Lord.
May we all learn "sunny day" discipline, to keep focused and connected during the good seasons, and may we not grow weary in the storm, it has been allowed.  He is in the whirlwind, listen for His voice.

Fish and Loaves

Jesus' disciples had only five loaves of bread and a couple of small fish, and Jesus had called on them to feed over five thousand people.  This was of course an impossible task for them to accomplish with their very limited resources, the fish and loaves would never meet the need.  I'm sure you remember what happened in this miracle, as Jesus blessed the small amount the disciples brought to Him and it was multiplied so that there was enough to feed the multitude with leftovers.
I remember a faith building "fish and loaves"moment for me, back when I was a twenty three year old, newlywed, newly hired youth pastor.  I was hired by a denominational church to oversee the youth, and my first assigned task was to meet with the parent leaders of the church's "teen club".  I was sure zealous for Jesus and for His word, and I just knew these parent leaders would be also.  Boy was I wrong!
As I met with the parents, the first thing I did was get rid of the name "teen club".  I told them we weren't a club, but a ministry.  I then canceled all of the club activities for the next couple of months, and told them our main focus would be a Sunday night Bible study.  We would have social activities eventually, but at first I wanted to make the Word of God the clear foundation of the ministry.  So, it was out with the bowling night and the miniature golf night, and in with the Bible study.
I really thought that the parent leaders would be as excited as I was about this new direction, but they weren't.  There was at least an hour of resistance and lecturing on how I was out of touch with the youth of the day.  It was difficult, but I didn't back down on what I knew the Lord was calling me to do.  By the end of the evening all but one of the fifteen or so leaders resigned.  The night I had been so excited about blew up in my face, and the parents I was so sure would be behind me, were hoping for my failure.
As I drove home feeling pretty weak and alone, I prayed a prayer that I have said many times since that night, it went like......Lord I think I'm in over my head, but I have to obey what You are calling me to do, so here I am, I have Your Spirit, Your word, and I can pray, help!!
As in the Gospels, this "fish and loaves" story also had a miraculous ending.  Within a couple of months our Sunday night study overflowed the church library with over one hundred high school students, and many young people came to salvation through the ministry.
How we need to continue to learn this lesson of the "fish and loaves" and realize it's not about us, but all about Jesus, He's the miracle worker.  Our job is to bring what we have to Him, and have Him bless and multiply and be glorified.

Soft Touch Evangelism?

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  Luke 9:23

I recently saw a set of interesting questions used by Asian Access, a Christian missions agency in South Asia.  The questions are used to determine the readiness of a new convert to follow Christ.  As you will see their evangelism technique is very different than what we use here in the States.....see what you think.

*Are you willing to leave home and lose the blessing of your father?
*Are you willing to lose your job?
*Are you willing to go to the village and those who persecute you, forgive them, and share the     love of Christ with them?
*Are you willing to give an offering to the Lord?
*Are you willing to be beaten rather than deny your faith?
*Are you willing to go to prison?
*Are you willing to die for Jesus?

At first these seemed to be pretty harsh questions to be putting to someone who is near to coming to Christ.  I felt like they were almost making it too difficult to commit to Jesus.  But when you consider the intense persecution that Christians are under in South Asia, you realize it is right that these new converts should be told the truth about the cost of following Jesus.
There are many blessings promised to those who commit to Christ, but an easy life here on earth is not one of them.  Our path in following Jesus is heading in a completely opposite direction than the path of this world, therefore we ought to expect resistance and harassment.
I heard one pastor who felt that because of all of our freedoms here in America, we proclaim what he termed "soft touch" evangelism.  He said this type of evangelism does not speak of the cost of discipleship.  That got me wondering, along with him, if the "soft touch" breeds Christians who are soft in their commitment, and who wither too quickly when trials arise.  Not that we should make it difficult to accept Jesus, but that we should more fully explain what it means to take up the cross daily.
How would you have answered the questions that Asian Access puts to their new converts?  I'm hoping you would answer yes to all of them, I know I would.  And though we may never be confronted with the same persecution facing our brothers and sisters in South Asia, may we have the same resolve to follow our beloved Jesus, no matter the cost.

 

Testimony

"and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,"  Ephesians 1:19-20

Most of us have heard a few radical testimonies.  We are amazed as we hear of lives that were in ruins, being instantly transformed and reborn.  How marvelous it is that these radical transformations are through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these saints.
Have you ever found yourself a little jealous wanting to have that same power working in your life?  Well guess what, you do have that power in your life!  If you have committed your life to Jesus, then the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit is in you and has given you life.  We have to remember that His power is not just to bring us to salvation, but also to enable us to live a victorious life that will serve as a testimony to His great love and grace.  The more we know Jesus, and learn to seek, trust, and obey Him, the more we will know His mighty power.  The Lord has given us each a radical testimony, a testimony that did not end the day of our salvation, but continues today for His glory.

Start Today

"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer that when we first believed."  Romans 13:11

Today I saw a sign over a man's desk that gave a great challenge.  The sign gave a simple two word message...."start today".
Right around the first of the year I picked up an article on New Years resolutions.  The article focused on the number one resolution, which is to go on a diet to lose weight.  It took an interesting angle in looking at success in dieting, based on what day of the week you began the diet.  A study was cited that indicated that it didn't seem to matter much what day of the week you started, except they did find, that the highest number of diets that failed were started on Mondays.  The feeling was that those who put things off, are not really serious about what they are putting off, and if your going to put something off, you'll usually put it off until Monday.  The point they made in the article was that those who are really serious about dieting, start right away.
How is your relationship with the Lord?  If you are not happy with your spiritual walk, if you feel you need to be more disciplined and spend more time in prayer and in the word.  Don't tell yourself that you will start getting serious on Monday, or when things slow down, or as soon as you finish this or that.  The great need for us all is to be strong in the Lord, and to be spiritually disciplined.  There is no better time to begin than now.  Don't put it off, let's start today!

Keep Going

"....and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."  Hebrews 12:1

It is pretty tough to run a marathon.  And while the race itself is a grueling twenty six point two miles, I think the toughest part is not the race, but the months of training before the race.
I've talked to people who have set out to train for a marathon and quit early on.  They start out and run two or three miles and feel horrible, after some quick math, it is concluded that if they feel this bad at two miles, how could they ever run twenty four more!  The problem is that they get overwhelmed by focusing on the longer distance, which they can't run.....yet.  The key to training for the marathon is to stay strong day in and day out at the shorter distances.  As you are disciplined in the shorter runs, soon running two miles will be easy, then four and eight and so on, until twenty six point two is not so overwhelming.
The problems you have today might seem as daunting as a marathon, and your temptation might be to throw up your hands and pull out of the race, thinking you can never make it.  If your focus becomes the how far, or the how long, you can easily get weary and discouraged.  Your job is to be faithful to Jesus day by day and allow Him to take care of the results.  As with marathon training, when you keep your focus on daily faithfulness, soon your strength will grow, and you will no longer be defeated by what once seemed impossible to overcome.

Preparing A Place

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."  I Corinthians 2:9

About a year ago our daughter moved back home for a couple of months to save money before her wedding.  We were so glad to have her back home for those few months.  A couple of weeks before she actually moved back we started to prepare for her arrival.  We had to clean out closets, set up the bed, and buy new sheets and pillows to get her room ready.  My favorite preparation came from my wife, who went digging through our kids old toys to find some dolls and bears that our daughter played with growing up.  Those dolls and bears were mom's special way to make the room say welcome.  None of this was a pain, in fact it was all a joy, for we looked so forward to having her home.
Our joy as parents in preparing for our daughter to come stay with us, made me think about our Lord's joy as He prepares for our coming to Him.  A little over two thousand years ago, Jesus gave us a wonderful promise when He said, "I am going to prepare a place for you."  Doesn't it make you wonder exactly what heaven will be like?  The Bible only gives a few clues as to what it will be like, but whatever it is like I'm certain it will be incredible.  The Apostle Paul couldn't come up with the right words to describe heaven, so it must be something so great that it is beyond our ability to grasp just yet.
Think about it, the God who created you, loves you, knows you, and wants to bless you for eternity, has been preparing for you to come home for two thousand years.  Oh my, what a homecoming that will be and what blessed children we are!

What A Sweetheart!

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Another Valentines Day is here, and we are being flooded with commercials telling us the best things to buy to tell our sweethearts that we love them.  Is it just me, or are most of the ads aimed at men?  I have found at least on the sports radio programs the ads are surely for men.  The spots are similar in that they all remind us guys not to forget, and there is only one more day to get something.  I heard one ad saying that if you order by noon today they promise she will get the gift on time, therefore you can trick her into believing you actually put a great deal of thought into the gift.  The gifts you can purchase to show how much you love your sweetheart are pretty familiar, flowers, chocolate, stuffed bears, chocolate, heart jewelery, chocolate, a fancy framed picture of the two of you, or chocolate.  There are some who really hate on Valentines Day, they boycott it and mock it.  I'm not one to hate on the day, but I think we can all agree that true love is not about just one day or one gift or chocolate.

Whatever you think of Valentines Day, I would encourage you this year to set your heart to consider the truest of all love, the love of God for us.  We are so blessed that God loves us and has shown us His love, not by sending flowers or stuffed bears, but by sending His Son to die for us.  What great joy there is in having the God of the universe as our sweetheart.  May His love for you bring you strength and hope today.