Valentine's Day Thoughts

It's Valentine's Day in the U.S.A. That means lots of red and white and pink EVERYWHERE one looks; the capitalisitic reminder that we need to "make the most of every holiday and turn it into a money making venture!" I got online a week and a half ago and received an email ad "reminding" me that I could buy something for my "loved ones" for Valentine's Day online. I decided that this year, I would give in and send some people some gifts. I clicked on the link and saw that the prices weren't that bad; so I did my shopping and patted myself on the back for helping the American economy on this, the "Day of Love." Just 3 days later, I received the same email ad, and I happened to open it up, to see the same "gifts" I had purchased, and noticed that the price was $10 higher than what I had paid!!! I was thankful to have "gotten a good deal"; then yesterday, I noticed that the prices on these same items had doubled--the law of capitalism at work right before my eyes. It struck me that the items had not changed one iota; the flowers and vases and hearts and chocolates were exactly the same, but the price had doubled in one and a half weeks. It made me stop and think: these items were no more valuable now than they were 1 1/2 weeks ago...they were no fresher, no more lovely, no bigger or more desireable...but ALL were more expensive. There is a worship song called "Here I am to Worship" and the refrain goes like this: "I'll never know how much it cost, to see my sin upon that cross." This refrain is repeated time and again, and I was thinking about that song in light of Valentine's Day...supposedly the "day of love"...and yet every day, we have right before us, the greatest expression of love ever poured out over ALL of humanity....Jesus' red blood, shed on the cross, at a cost none of us could ever even begin to calculate, much less fathom. How often do I treat that gift from God so lightly, so flippantly and concentrate more on the cost of worldly things which will bring only temporary pleasure. None of us will EVER know, this side of heaven, how much that sacrifice of love cost; but we know how much a dozen roses costs today...and we pay the price because we want to show our love to someone. May we stop today and consider the amazing price that was paid by Jesus, who went willingly to the cross because "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not PERISH, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) We buy flowers or a gift to make someone happy for a day or a few days; God bought US, paying the ultimate price....are we flippant about that costly gift, not recognizing that without that gift, we would perish? I pray that this Valentine's Day, we all contemplate the greatest gift given of all, whose cost cannot be measured, and we would bow down and worship the King of Kings who gave up His life, that we might live for eternity. And finally, may we give someone the only gift worth giving....Jesus Himself and a personal relationship with Him! Amen.