“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”
C. S. Lewis
I was fifteen when I first heard about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Young Life leader shared about God’s vast love for me and how that led Him to sacrifice His Son so that my sins could be forgiven, and my life could be redeemed. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The leader led me in a prayer where I confessed my sins to God and repented from running my own life. I asked God for forgiveness and told Him I wanted Him to rule and reign over me. My life no longer belonged to me but was surrendered to God.
My walk with God hasn’t in any way been perfect, which is why I needed a perfect Savior in the first place! It started out though by experiencing God’s love, grace, and delight in me. Then it slowly morphed into a religious relationship of do’s and don’ts and one of duty and performance instead of obedience out of my love for Him. Fortunately, as I learned to hear His voice, it reverted into an intimate Father-daughter and bride-Groom relationship.
For Valentine’s Day in 2007, I sensed the Lord wanted me to write Him a Valentine expressing my love and devotion to Him. This is what I wrote to my beloved Valentine, Jesus:
What can I give you? All of me is encapsulated within my heart, so that is what I choose to give you on Valentine’s Day – my heart. I gladly surrender my heart, life, dreams, and desires. They’re Yours. They no longer belong to me but belong to You alone. Capture all of me Lord, as You hold my heart within Your heart. Thank you for Your deep love for me as You demonstrated on the Cross. I consecrate and set myself aside for You and Your purposes. May I show you my love for You through my obedience. I love You, the Lover of my soul.
“The first purpose of your life is to be loved by God! Yes, it is important to serve him, obey, and trust him, but your first purpose is to love him.”
Rick Warren
Relevant Reflections:
1. For those who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I invite you to prayerfully consider confessing and repenting of your sin, yielding all your life to His Lordship, and asking Him to come and make His home within your heart.
2. Write a Valentine to the Lover of your Soul.