SPECIAL DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL FEBRUARY 14 SCRIPTURES: JOHN 3: 36; 13: 34 – 35
The world over celebrates love feast day called simply “VALANTINE DAY”; purely dedicated to feasting with all loved one. Visit to history records show many versions and angles why Valentine Day is so significant these days. This devotional subscribed to the Christian version. Historical record in Wikipedia said a Priest of Rome called Valentine before his execution on February 14, 269 AD by one Emperor Claudius II; wrote a letter to a daughter of his Jailer he healed of blindness. He signed off the letter by wroting “Your Valentine.” Many concluded that the Priest was in love with Julia the blind girl and therefore, the letter was love letter. Another source said he was jailed for performing weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman Emperor. Valentine’s healing his Jailer’s daughter and weddings of soldiers forbidden from marring were acts of love. Reason earliest Christens made the day he was executed a celebration of love.
Like what happened to Christmas and Esther Days, Valentine Day grew into world day celebration when all sorts of cultural, traditional and religious features filtered into the celebration with highly moderated forms and observations. It started with people visiting loved ones with gifts of materials and foods sharing. Celebrating Valentine Day with distributions of love void sinful background would have made the celebration perfect. God extended this love to mankind, His Son Jesus Christ did same and the early Christians emulated same. This devotional believed that many people have taken Valentine Day too far as it has becomes a day for careless flirtatious activities. Many girls and women are being defiled all under the belief that Valentine Day is for excessive love making. These days many females lost their lives to ritual sacrifices on Valentine Day. Realistically this ought to be.
God’s kind of love extended to us is to love someone without attracting cost on the loved one. The phrase “For God so loved the world… in John 3: 36 depicts unconditional action. Real love is given selflessly. Spending money Andy materials as well as foods and drinks on someone with ulterior motive of having countless times of sex, or making one easy prey to kill and make further monies from the person was far from what Saint Valentine did. How beautiful and appreciative Valentine Day will be if individuals who have the means for living will move round the poorest communities sharing foods and drinks to people; moving from hospitals to hospitals settling bills for those who cannot pay their bills. Human beings are to be known by their self-giving, sacrificial and unconditional love for another. This is the love John 13: 34 – 35 says we are to love one another with.
PRAYERS.
1. Father, please direct all celebrants of Valentine Day to a righteous ways of celebrating Valentine Day to in Jesus name.
2. Pray and ask God to direct your minds to who to one less privileged person that you can show kindness to today in Jesus name.
CONFESSIONAL STATEMENT:
I am born to love fellow men and women. I have no choice not to love people. God and Jesus did love people and still loving them.
CONTACT US:
You can contact us for prayer requests or discussions through ubasimon341@gmail.com
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch
