February 14
There are many legends surrounding the holiday we celebrate today. In Roman times, the feast of Lupercalia was celebrated when single young men and women drew names of partners and vowed to protect one another through the year. Often, the year culminated in the partners’ marriage.
The holiday we celebrate got its name from St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers who was beheaded during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II who had banned marriage because he felt married men made poor soldiers. Valentine, a priest, performed marriages secretly. When he was discovered, he paid with his life.
Other legends swirl around the origins of the holiday, but the reality is that there is only one real source of love. The Bible tells us that “…God is love” (I John 4:8). If an individual does not love, he does not truly know God. The world has a counterfeit of love, but apart from knowing the One true and living God who is love, none of us is capable of love.
How can we ascertain the source of the love we see, to know whether it indeed flows from the heart of God? The Bible gives us some clear evidence of the love that HE manifests through His people in I Corinthians 13:4-8. Among the identifying characteristics of godly love are these: it does not boast; it is not self-seeking. It is not rude or proud. It disdains evil. And it never fails.
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