017 RIC Biblical Articles - The amazing love of the Father - Valentine's Day 2025
RIC Biblical Articles
017: The amazing love of the Father - Valentine's Day 2025
14-02-2025
Greetings, precious soul,
Valentine's Day is all about love. People send cards, give flowers, and show their care for each other. But human love can fail, change, or even disappear. Yet, beyond all human love, there is a love that runs deeper than the ocean. A love freely given, not based on what we do or deserve, the love of God.
The Bible speaks of a love that does not fade but lasts forever. A love that is not earned but is a gift of grace. In 1 John 3:1 we read: ‘Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.’
God's love is greater than a romantic gesture. It is a love that removes the barrier between us and God. When we walk with Him, His love shines on us like the warm sun. Christ covers us with His righteousness so that we may live pure and holy before Him.
When we think about love, we often think about human relationships. We long for love, connection and security. Yet the Bible points us to a love that is far greater than all these. The love of God the Father. John calls us to reflect on the greatness of this love. He does not only say that God loves us but declares that God has adopted us as His children.
This is not self-evident. Adam and Eve were created perfect by God, but through the Fall our nature became estranged from Him. Yet in His grace He has not only granted us forgiveness but through faith and repentance He adopts us as His children and heirs in Christ.
John states that the world does not know us because it does not know God. This means that being a child of God is not something outward. It is not an outward sign, not a social status, but a deep change that only those in Christ can understand. The world does not understand this identity because it does not know or see its Source, God Himself.
Do you understand the depth of this love? Do you live as a child of God? How visible is His love in your life?
Understanding that we are children of God should fill us with wonder and gratitude. It means that we are no longer strangers but heirs of the Kingdom of God. It means that we are no longer lost but safe in the Father's hand. And it means that we are called to live as children of light, as John writes earlier. Whoever abides in Him does not sin (1 John 3:6), because he lives in fellowship with the Holy God.
This love of the Father calls for a response. If God so loved us that He gave His Son to make us His children, how then should we walk in this love? This means obedience, holiness, and love for others. Whoever is truly a child of God reflects His love in actions.
That is why God calls us to faith and to repent. His love requires a response: that we give our hearts completely to Him, confess our sins, and entrust our lives to His hands. Whoever turns to Him receives forgiveness, is renewed by the Holy Spirit, and can be assured of eternal life. May this love lead us to deeper surrender and a life that honors His Name.
As children of God, let us live in trust and obedience, rooted in His eternal love.
May this Valentine's Day remind us of the greatest love of all, God's eternal love for us.
