Happy Valentine’s Day

This is about my only Valentine Decoration.  I made it years ago when the kids were still at home, along with some other hearts I put verses on.  But this heart I still take out every year.  And this is the verse of I think of whenever I think of Valentine’s Day.  I’m not sure of this verse if taken from a certain Bible translation or if I changed the wording myself so the kids would better understand its meaning.  Here it is from the NKJV…

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  I John 4:10

I think I changed out the word propitiation because I thought it was too hard to understand.  And while Jesus was sent to be our atoning sacrifice, that wording is not quite as complete as the meaning of propitiation. Yesterday in church we had a wonderful message on the wrath of God.  Maybe that doesn’t sound like a wonderful topic but it puts in perspective just how much love God does have for each us.  Our Pastor started off by stating, “that to understand the love of God, you need to understand the wrath of God.”  I know I so often do not want to recognize just how offensive my “little sins” are to God. Nor do I take time to realize that I am so deserving of His wrath because I have violated His Holy Character and laws.  Our Pastor gave this definition…”God’s wrath is the necessary response of a Perfect, Holy God, to the violations of His will.”  God’s wrath hangs over all people. It must be satisfied.  So either the individual person must suffer….for eternity.  Or there is “propitiation” from Jesus.  It means, God’s wrath is satisfied. It is satisfied because Jesus bore the full wrath when He took my sin…and yours too…upon Himself as He hung on the cross.  His blood was shed to be the atoning sacrifice as my  Valentine decoration states.  It was the means for propitiation  to take place.  I kind of like the word propitiation a lot more now!

Happy Valentine’s Day!! I hope you take time today amidst all the other expressions of love, to realize what great love God has for you!