Won't You Be My Valentine?

~ A Valentine From Jesus ~


I  love you.

You are mine.

Your name is written upon My heart.

Your prayers are precious to Me.

Your life is in My hands.

I  am always with you.

I  am nearer to you than your own heart.

I  gave My life so that you might live forever with Me.

All I ask in return is your love.


Won't You Be My Valentine,


~ Jesus ~

 

You Can Read All About My Special Valentine ~Date~

HERE:

 

http://intothekingsgarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/very-special-valentines-date.html

Jesus - our Valentine

~ Jesus - God’s Valentine to You ~
         Until we meet in glory, these things I vow to you ...


I will  love you with an everlasting love
(Jer 31:3)

I will  never leave you or forsake you
(Heb 13:5)

I will  be pleased with your faith
(Heb 11:6)

I will  remain faithful, even if you are not 
(2 Tim 2:13)

I will  allow absolutely nothing to separate you from my love
(Rom 8:38)

I will  always be your refuge and shield in times of trouble 
(Ps 18:2)

I will  be your hiding place 
(Ps 32:7)

I will give you the desire of your heart as you delight in Me 
(Ps 37:4)

I will  be the strength of your heart forever 
(Ps 73:26)

I will  make your path straight as you acknowledge Me 
(Pr 3:6)

I will  give you rest for your soul  
(Matt 11:29)

I will  never condemn you 
(Rom 8:1)

I will  reveal myself to you 
(John 14:21)

I will  rejoice over you with gladness 
(Zep 3:17)


Anxiously waiting for you,
~ Jesus ~

Love Beyond the Chocolates

Love Beyond the Chocolates

If you want to capture someone's heart for a lifetime, it takes more than a box of chocolates. They need the kind of love that ignites the fire and keeps it burning throughout the years.

In the reading of Titus 2:3-5 in which it says, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

You see that little spot there where it says, "to love their husbands?" The Greek word for "love" there is "philos" meaning to be friends or to be friendly to someone.

The English language is complicated. We only have one word for love. I can "love" my husband, and I can also "love" those divine red shoes I spotted at the market the other day- the ones that sported a hefty price tag. Obviously the "love" of my husband is so much more important to my being than the "love" of a pair of red shoes. That's confusing for anyone. Don't you think?

The Greeks; on the other hand, have more clarity in their language. When they're talking about love, they spell it out clearly using one of several different words.

Here are a four of them:

Agape - This is a sacrificial love, like the one we read about in 1 Corinthians 13

Eros - This is passionate love. The kind that makes your heart race.

Philia - Friendship or showing affection

Storge - Affection usually within family relationships


While a strong marriage should have all of these characteristics of love working together I want to focus in on the one from Titus 2: Philia.

When God created man he noticed something about him, and that was the fact that Adam was alone and being alone was not a good thing for him. He needed someone to spend time with, someone he could confide in, someone he could laugh with, someone who was loyal, someone who would value him, and someone who would show him affection. God saw that He needed a companion and friend.

"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18

God's gift to man in the Garden that day reminds me that I'm not just someone that my husband fell in love with. I was put on this earth with the purpose of being his helper, his companion and his friend -someone he can laugh with, someone he can confide in, and someone who values the man that he is. My husband is so much more than a yearly heart shaped box of chocolates. He is a priceless gift- my personal gift from God. Made just for me and me for him.

That's agape love. Beautiful; isn't it?

A Very Special Valentine's Date

~My Special Valentine For All Time~

"Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine!" Thomas Hood

Many, many years ago now; back when I was a newly divorced single mother; the church that I was attending at the time had a Valentine's Day social for the adults. For the event each person (rather married or single) was required to bring a "date" with them to the party. I very much wanted to attend but was not currently dating anyone.

I am not sure exactly when the idea came to me as to whom I would take to the Valentine's Day event but once I had made up my mind then I began to make preparations with a zest in my spirit that I had not felt in a very long time.

I suppose that I spent most all of one week and part of another getting ready for the Big event. I went to a "formals" boutique in our community and bought a red gown with matching shoes and a red beaded handbag. I went to the hair dressers and had my hair cut, colored and curled and then I went to the nail salon and had a manicure and a pedicure. The last place that I went to was a costume shop and there I purchased a faux red velvet crown (in just a moment you will see why)

The day of the Big event I gave myself a facial to beat all facials, soaked in the tub in sweet oils until my skin was soft and silky smooth, ate a very light lunch because my nerves probably would have had me to throw up anything heavier and drank a few glasses of wine while I went through my beauty regime. Then it was time to get dressed and go.

I walked out of the house feeling like a million zillion bucks! I looked good, I felt good, I smelled good and most importantly I carried the faux velvet crown in my hand which gave me all of the confidence in the world!

The church was just across the street from where I lived so I didn't have very far to walk. I went in and made general chitchat with everyone there and more than a few people (impolitely I thought) ask me where my date was for the festivities to which I replied "Ohh, well you know, He'll be along in a minute".

So; then it came time to go into the banquet hall for our Valentine's meal. I walked over to the head of the table and picked up the napkin and crumpled it up a little bit and set it along side of the plate. According to Middle Eastern tradition (both in the past and the present) a crumpled napkin is the symbol for "I am coming back". Meaning don't remove my plate because I am not finished yet. Then I sat my red velvet crown down on top of the empty plate.

My pastor saw what I had done and he came over and in a low kind of whisper voice said something to the effect of it not being necessary (he thought the crown was for him!) but I was just as quick to assure him that it was not his crown- the crown belonged to my "date".

He reminded me- still in his lowered "I am not going to make a scene" voice that he generally sat at the head of the table for most all church social events. Being the pastor I am sure that he did and had every right to. But still I told him "Not tonight. Tonight you will not be sitting at the head of the table. Tonight my date sits here." (giving the arm of the chair a light pat) Then I went and took the place setting that had been designated for me at the table.

Well; the pastor not wanting to cause a scene in front of his congregation by insisting on sitting at what he thought was his place setting - sat down in the first chair on the right. Which caused everyone else to have to shift down one chair. For a moment it caused a little bit of a shuffle as everyone realigned their seating.

So; as it were, before the meal began the women were ask to stand up one at a time and introduce their "date" and then to tell what it was that each adored the most about their person.

Round and round it went until it became my turn to speak. The pastor (bless his heart) thought I had been stood up by my date and trying to save me from embarrassment was going to simply pass me over and called on the next woman at the table. But I held her arm to keep her from standing and when she got what I was doing I then stood up and said:

"I would like to present my date for this evening- actually He is my date for every evening, every night and every day. He is my love for all time and all times. Tonight on this very special Valentine's Day I finally have the opportunity to dress up for Him the way I have always wanted to and to go out as a couple. And I so appreciate each of you making this night possible for me. I don't have to tell any of you why I Love Him like I do because you already know Him and you already love Him ... just as I do.

Then I walked to the front of the table and stood behind the chair and said (by then I could hardly speak past the lump in my throat- as I am right now as I type this up)


"This is Jesus Christ and He is my date".

"I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach." Elizabeth Barrett Browning


From that Valentine's Day forward rather I host a Valentine's party or attend a Valentine's party, or just simply spend the day/evening at home on Valentine's day -  Jesus Christ has always been my date for the event. He is my Valentine for All Time and I Love Him. Just as I know you do too.

I think sometimes we forget to what extent that Jesus was willing to go to just to prove His love for us. We forget how diligently He wooed us and courted us; always with the utmost gentleness and patience, until He finally captured our hearts.

Like an old married couple that has been in love for decades we settle down into a depth of warmth for our Beloved that may not be the all consuming desire that we had in the beginning of our courtship but so much more comforting and comfortable.

Through the years as we have grown together and learned about one another we have built a relationship that is binding and constant. It doesn't wax and wane in relation to our current circumstances but stays true and holds the course through fair weather and foul. Very much just like in the natural; we look forward to spending our twilight years together rocking on the porch, holding hands and pondering aloud what the future might hold for us.

We have found our one true love; our love of a lifetime, our Valentine for all time and it is good. We need nothing else but our Beloved. No need to look further. He is as perfect a love as it ever was or ever will be. How fortunate are we that He fell in love with us. Fortunate indeed!

"Love is the emblem of eternity: it confounds all notion of time: effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end."
Germaine De Stael

O, my luve's like a red red rose
That's newly sprung in June
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly played in tune


I love thee, I love thee,
'Tis all that I can say;
It is my vision in the night,
My dreaming in the day.


Through all eternity to thee
A joyful song I'll raise,
For oh! Eternity is too short
To utter all thy praise.