Your Valentine Date

Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24

Ever meet someone who is full of themselves? It can quickly turn something fun and healthy into something sad and sickly. According to the above verses, we are to boast NOT in ourselves but in understanding and knowing God.

The problem is that people have all kinds of ideas in regard to who God is. Those who had abusive or hard parents may see God as abusive or hard. Those whose father was aloof and uninvolved may see God the same way. Some think God is like a grandpa who is passively involved and makes for a nice lap to sit in once in a while. Others see Him as a judge just waiting for them to mess up.

God wants us to know and understand Him. How? He is not like us. God says in Isaiah 40:25, “To whom then will you liken Me that I would be his equal.” So, how do we know and understand God?

Jesus says in John 14:7, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” He then says in verse nine, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Knowing Jesus is the beginning of knowing and understanding God. In fact, Jesus was crucified, not for what He did, but for who He claimed to be. We understand and know God as we understand and know Jesus.

What is it that we are to know and understand about Him? He is the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness. His lovingkindness is not a cupid, romantic love or love at first sight. It’s so much more. It’s a love that sacrifices for our good and proves itself beyond question. It’s a love that justifies each person in such a way that God can look at me just if I’d never sinned. It’s a love that declares me right based upon the perfect righteousness of Christ. It is through Christ and His cross that we begin to understand all that God wants us to boast in.

Many will take their sweethearts out on a date this Valentine’s Day. Some are eagerly waiting for their soul mate to appear. My dear family, our soul mate has appeared. His name is Jesus. The more we date Him the more we will understand God’s lovingkindness, justice and righteousness. The more we understand, the more we will want to understand more. And the more we come to understand, the more we will want to boast of Him.

This Valentine’s day, don’t forget your sweetheart. Spend time with them. Take them out on a date. But go deeper by getting to understand and know the Lord Jesus. Lovingkindness, justice and righteousness await. It will all be very worth your while.

Happy February,         Pastor Tim