Today is Valentine’s Day.

This is probably the only day in the year that you eat those pastel colored hearts. You know, the ones with love messages on them, like “Be mine,” “Sweetie Pie,” and “Love ya.” The messages aren’t too deep, but, hey, how much room is there on a candy heart?

Actually, even if the writing space were much bigger, the message probably still would be pretty shallow. That’s because we say “love” so easily and casually. For example, every day we proclaim love for hot dogs, puppies, warm weather, TV shows, fudge, and a host of other favorite things and activities. So when we say, “I love you” to a person, do we feel the same as we do for an electronic game or a friend’s hairstyle (“I love what you’ve done to your hair!”)? No wonder it’s confusing.

Jesus said that his followers would be known by their love for each other (check out John 13:35). And he said that soon after he had washed his disciples’ feet and had told them to follow his example. So it seems that the love Jesus was talking about is more than a feeling or a sweet compliment. His type of love involves action, a decision to act for someone else’s good. He did that when he chose to come to earth and to die on the cross for our sins. That’s true love!

Look at the verses for today. This passage emphasizes the attitudes and actions of love.

So whom do you say that you love? Mom? Dad? Brother? Sister? Friend? Think how you show it, how you act. That’s the test—because actions speak louder than words.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

To Do

Make a valentine for a special person in your life. Use part or all of today’s Bible passage to thank that person for his or her love actions toward you. You could say, for example, “Thanks for being such a good friend. Paul wrote that ‘love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful’ and I see that in you.”

Also on this day . . .

This is National Ferris Wheel Day.

1741—American Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold was born.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.