Guest Blogger ... Alma Chandler

I remember what it was like, being “single”, when Valentines day rolls around and you still have no one. Another year alone (or so you think). You see pink and red hearts everywhere, you think of romantic dates, and being given chocolate and roses by a wonderful man. You think of being loved for who you are, and feeling acceptance and happiness.

But whether or not we have a romantic special someone, we have something amazingly better, if we trust in Christ for salvation. We have everlasting love from a Savior, love sincere and true enough to suffer and die for us. We have total acceptance by God, purchased for us by Jesus. We have eternal joy. As Christians, we know what true love is. Valentines Day is a perfect time to put aside the thought of wishing our lives were different, and recall to mind the wonderful truth of what we have. It is a the perfect time to remember the love of Jesus.

What is a better encouragement to us than Scripture? IT IS the truth. Our own feelings or thoughts are not necessarily true, unless they are in line with God’s Holy Word. Let’s look at the love of God as revealed to us in the Bible. It is indeed marvelous. We have graciously been saved from sin and set apart for a relationship with our God!

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10) “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1) “In love, he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:5) “He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every on to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6) “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7) “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” (Isaiah 54:5) “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:8-9)

Yes, let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. It is the very best love ever!
　
　
Alma is the wife of Vaughn Chandler, an arborist. When he’s out climbing trees, she spends her time teaching piano, reading books about babies (they are expecting their first child, a boy, in a matter of days), cooking, walking, visiting, cleaning, etc. She finally got married at age 30, so she knows what it is like to wait, wonder and work at looking to Jesus as the years go by.

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 7:40 PM