By Doug Creamer

I went to the drugstore the other day and was confused. I walked down the candy aisle and saw both Valentine candy and Easter candy on display. Which holiday is coming up in a few days? Did I miss Valentine’s Day? Can you give Easter candy for Valentine’s Day?

It is nice to have a holiday that celebrates love, especially during the drab winter. Many of my neighbors have flags or wreaths that celebrate the season of love. There are many great romantic comedies to enjoy watching at this time of year. And who can forget the Peanuts special where Charlie Brown is hoping to get a Valentine from the little redheaded girl in his class?

I always thought Super Bowl Sunday was the first Sunday in February, but this year it is the second Sunday. That thought made me wonder if the Super Bowl could collide with Valentine’s Day. According to Google it hasn’t yet, but the possibility does exist. I hope whoever is in charge of planning the date makes sure that never happens. Can you imagine the potential turmoil in many homes if the most romantic day of the year happened to be on Super Bowl Sunday?

All that worry aside, it is nice to take at least one day out of the year to focus on love. It is important to make sure we express our love to our family. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and our children need to know that they are loved and appreciated. Now, expressing our love for co-workers, friends, and neighbors is a little more of stretch for us guys. It is a little more acceptable to express our love for our brothers and sisters at church.

Most of my life I have attended churches where guys can hug and express their love in Christ for each other. I know that in many churches women find it easier to express love and concern for each other. The guys will stand around and talk about sports, hunting, fishing and if you get close to me…weather! Just because guys don’t express it as often as women doesn’t mean that we don’t love and care for each other. If you need help with something, most guys I have attended church with are going to be there for you. When you can find the support and encouragement of your brothers in Christ…that is love!

Jesus had no trouble expressing His love for us. Jesus expressed His love through both His words and deeds. Jesus told us over and over again that He loves us. He also told us many times that God, His Heavenly Father, loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine. But Jesus demonstrated His love for us when He died for our sins.

What many people fail to understand is that God is completely without sin. He has never had a bad thought, said the wrong thing or acted in any wrong way. He is holy. He cannot tolerate or live with sin. When He created the earth and mankind there was no sin in our world. The trouble arose when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and brought sin into our sinless world. God could no longer live with man. The relationship between us was broken.

God created a plan to fix it. He loved mankind and wanted to connect with us. So God sent Jesus to become a living sacrifice in order to take away all the sin of mankind. His blood cleansed all of our sin away. Now, because of what Jesus did, we can be in a relationship with a Holy and pure God. Jesus’ love paid the price. Jesus expressed His love for us through His words, but more importantly, through His actions. There is no greater love one person can have for another than to lay down one’s life for the other.

I want to encourage you to consider the example Jesus left for us…especially all you guys out there. Jesus expressed and professed His love for us. He demonstrated His love by His actions. Can you imagine how radically we could change the world around us if we learned to express and demonstrate that kind of love for each other? Look at the world around you; hate, violence and anger are strong, but we know that love conquers all. God’s love through Jesus washes over all our sins and now we can live forgiven and guilt free. If you accept Jesus, you will be accepted and welcomed into the Father’s presence…a place filled with love, peace, and joy. Let’s celebrate love… Happy Valentine’s Day!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.