by Pastor James Lee

Dale Galloway shares the following story:

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young fella. One day he came home and told his mother, he’d like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, “I wish he wouldn’t do that!” because she had watched the children when they walked home from school. Her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other. But Chad was never included. Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For three whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made thirty-five valentines.

Valentine’s Day dawned and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies and serve them up warm and nice with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he’d be disappointed; maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hurt her to think that he wouldn’t get many valentines – maybe none at all.

That afternoon she had the cookies and milk out on the table. When she heard the children outside she looked out the window. Sure enough here they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. His arms were empty, she noticed, and when the door opened she choked back the tears.

“Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you.” But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he could say was:

“Not a one… not a one.”

Her heart sank.

And then he added, “I didn’t forget a one, not a single one!”

In a spiritually dead world that is constantly and selfishly searching for “love” in all the wrong places, and thus unable to truly love, remember that as the elect of God, you are loved eternally and immensely, not because of you, but in spite of you. I find it terribly humbling that as the only people who are loved as completely as we are loved by our Creator, I am still terribly deficient in my love for people. Even the best kindness of an unbeliever, who also is made in the image and likeness of God, is nothing compared to the God-glorifying and soul-satisfying love that the Lord can work through His redeemed people, the church. The utterly amazing love of God for His children ought to make us great lovers of souls – because the white hot love of our Creator for His adopted ones is not only sufficient for our every need, but overflows beyond what we ourselves can possibly hold. We will never run on empty or be left alone in this world, if we love others, even our enemies, as He does, no matter how completely we give of ourselves.

Let us live this day and each day after as people who are consciously shattered and built up by how greatly we are loved, bearing more and more fruit of the Spirit in love. By responding to our Holy Master in daily submission to His Word, daily trust in His Sovereignty, and daily delight in His beauty, I pray we will find ourselves more and more like our Good Shepherd who already proved His love for sinners (Romans 5:8). Recently, old wounds began to bleed profusely in me and a sinful anger welled up in my depraved heart towards someone who hurt me deeply. It is so difficult to love our fellow sinners who sometimes cause us such bone-shattering sorrow. But as His elect, we are not our old flat-lined selves, but we’ve been raised to newness of life in Christ, so that even as we are in the process of being conformed into His image (Romans 8:28-29), we are enabled and are responsible, to love others as He does.

“For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7)