A Perfect Valentine

by Sue Donaldson

My sister Lori called me from the middle of a snowstorm in Wisconsin to tell me she was going to give a Valentine’s Ladies Brunch. She invited the whole church, naturally- here is her invitation:

You are invited to a Valentine’s Brunch~

Please bring:

A dish- to- pass (Wisconsin for “potluck”) that has something red in it~

A favorite love story to share: movie, book, poem, song, photo~

And, a friend or family member

She expects lots of red jello- it’s Wisconsin. And, being a Moore, she will provide a devotional. She told me she’ll read a favorite children’s story called, Everybody Loves Mr. Hutchinson. When Mr. Hutchinson finds out he’s truly loved, he begins loving others with abandon. Isn’t that a fact? When we feel loved, really and truly, it’s so easy to love another.

Lori said her favorite Scripture on love is the parable of the lost sheep. God is pictured as a Shepherd who drops everything to find the one last sheep. She’ll remind her brunch ladies that if you were the only one, Jesus would have died on the cross. That’s love that’s bigger than a Valentine.

My favorite Valentine-from-God verse is Zephaniah 3:17 ~

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

When you think on that one for a bit, it should make you just want to host a red jello party this Saturday. There’s still time. Lori plans to add sun-dried tomatoes to everything. And, if you make it an afternoon tea, chocolate covered cherries will work just fine.

Oswald Chambers said: “Get into the habit of saying, ‘Speak Lord,’ and life will become a romance.” (January 30, My Utmost for His Highest) Sounds just about right for this Saturday.

Happy Valentine’s!

Father God,

Thank You for loving me, delighting in me, saving me and singing over me. When I rest in your love, I can love others better. Show me how to do just that this coming week. Amen.

Quiet Me

by Cindy Frauenheim

This week a verse from my Bible study homework really jumped out at me. It was not the main emphasis of the study, but one given at the end of the day’s study for encouragement.

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

The phrase that really touched my soul was “he will quiet you with his love”. That concept has been resonating with me for several days, and I have committed the verse to memory. Last time I talked about our “to-do” lists and how busy we can get this time of year. Well I have certainly been put to the test in this area this week! I have been pressured from all sides with many of those “one-more-things”. I have felt that building tension, wondering how it will all ever get done, and even physically have been tense (threw my back out rearranging my freezer!).

I don’t know exactly how God quiets us with his love, but I see it there in his word, and I believe it. I am praying for God to do that daily. Meditating on the fact that the Lord my God is with me and that he delights in me, gives me evidence of his love. Looking to the cross, we see the ultimate evidence of his love. I think just refocusing daily on his attributes and promises can quiet me – getting the focus off myself. But there I go, trying to figure out how I will quiet myself, when the promise is that he will quiet me. So lately I am just restating this verse as the truth it is, not necessarily trying to figure it out. I am saying it to myself, and back to God as a petition and with thanksgiving.

Lord, thank you for your promise of quieting me with your love. I need you to do that, as I clearly cannot quiet myself. Thank you for the simple yet powerful reminder that you are with me, you are mighty, and you delight and rejoice over me. That is amazing. Thank you for loving me so much that you care to quiet me. Help me to yield to your Holy Spirit, and allow you to give me rest, calm my fears, and lead me beside those quiet waters.