Be Like Valentine

Illustration: Someone wrote this: "Dear Abby: "Do all marriages go stale after 25 years? Ours has. My husband and I don't talk much anymore. We used to talk about our kids, but now they're grown and out of the house. I have no major complaints about my husband, but the old excitement is gone. We watch a lot of television. We read books. We have friends. But when we're alone, it isn't exciting. We even sleep in separate bedrooms now. Is there a way to recapture the old magic? Signed, The Song Has Ended."

To make our marriage strong and happy, we should love our spouse as Jesus loves us. Leighton Ford states, "It is said that marriage is a 50-50 proposition. Don't you believe it! A good marriage includes giving in and adjusting to each other. But at heart, marriage isn't a 50-50 deal; it's 100 percent both ways! How much did Christ love us? 50%? 75%? No! He gave Himself 100% for our salvation. So must we to our spouses!" Because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for our spouses and others. It doesn't have to be confined to dying for another person, but placing other people's needs above our own!

Galatians 2:20 says: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Paul explains further in we cannot "walk in love" and be selfish at the same time! Someone said, "Often, in the first year of marriage, the man speaks, and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks, and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak, and the neighbors listen."

We should be willing to sacrifice what we want for what our loved one wants. Let's get back to our Valentine's story! Valentine tried to stay cheerful. Many young people came to the jail to visit him. They threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted him to know that they, too, believed in love. One of these young people was the daughter of the correctional officer. Her father allowed her to visit him in his cell. They often sat and talked for hours. She believed he did right by ignoring the Emperor and performing marriage ceremonies. Let's move on now to the next point of this message!

3. Believe in Jesus and love one another.

1 John 3:23 says, "And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment." God wants us to believe in Jesus as the Son of God who came to save us through His death on the cross and to love one another! This "love" that the Bible talks about is the sacrificial "agape" love. Those desires are nothing but the best for others! God is love and the source of true love. Well, let's see how our Valentine's story ends!

On the day Valentine was to die, he left her a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, "Love from your Valentine." That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day he died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. God wants us to love our spouses, parents, children, and others every day, not only on Valentine's Day. Illustration: One little girl said to her mother, "What do people say when they get married, Mother?" "They promise to love and be kind to each other." The child said naively, "You're not always married, are you, mother?" The daughter said that because she saw her mother didn't always love and be kind to her father.