Who/what has your heart this Vday?

This is such a sad day for so many people. It breaks my heart to think that. Love cannot be found on this earth unless it is found first in Christ.  This morning I spent my time with my first true Love, Jesus. We had breakfast together, sang together, and made vows together. It was beautiful. As I was finishing my time with Him He laid the book of Hosea on my heart. 

[Background info.: The book of Hosea is a story of a man named Hosea who was called to marry a prostitute/adulterous wife. Whether or not this is to be taken as a parable or reality is debated. However, the purpose is to portray God's love for US. We are the prostitute/adulterous wife that "cheat" on God all the time. Yet, He still loves and remains in covenant marriage with us]. 

Hosea 2:9 (NLT) says "She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has — the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all My gifts to Baal." This is so fitting for the world we live in today, especially on this holiday. God has given us many gifts, and we turn them into idols. We worship the gift instead of worshiping the gift Giver. Here are some examples...

1. God gave us the gift of marriage/relationship (see Genesis 2:18). Yet so many of us (male & female) create an idol out of our significant other. We place them on pedestals they can never stand on, and then we expect them to fulfill every need and void we have. That is the Lord's job! Placing that job in human hands always leads to disappointment. It also brings stress to the person who you place in that position. They are not able to live up to those standards. BUT Jesus is! The Lord longs to fill us. He longs to reveal His love for us! He longs for our hearts to know Him intimately and be content in Him. He wants to be in relationship with you. He's your Husband (Isaiah 54:5) 
2. God gave us sex within the context of marriage as a gift (see 1 Corinthians 7:1-5). This is insanely idolized in our society. You can just turn on your TV to see how we have exploited this gift. So many things are sensual on TV because "sex sells." Young girls are being implicitly taught that their worth lies in their bodies, and the way to true love is through exposing yourself to a man. This is NOT what the Lord meant it for. He meant it to unify ONE wife and ONE husband. He meant it to allow us to procreate and receive the blessing of children. The Lord even delights in our sex with our spouses. Just read Song of Solomon. He is all for it UNTIL we use it outside of context it was created within. 
3. Money. This is another big one. God delights in blessing us (see Proverbs 3:9-10). However, He does not delight in us using those blessings for evil or idolizing it. When the sole purpose in what we strive for is money that does not glorify God. Everything we have is because God allowed it. Yet when He asks for 10% we throw a fit. He says the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Our strive should be to be in the will of God for our lives. Pursue in what He has called you to and He will meet all your needs (financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc). Seek His Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33)

Guys, please know that the only reason I can speak on these topics is because I have done every single one (and this is a SHORT list!). The Lord totally convicted my heart this morning about where I was seeking my love first. It was not Him. Yet, He is faithful still. He pursues my heart EVERYDAY, and He shows His love to me in every moment.


So today, don't focus on what you don't have. If you are single, focus on the Lord being your Husband and the Lover of your soul. Let Him satisfy that deep longing within you to be loved. He created it! He knows how to fill it.  If you are in a relationship, show your love for your spouse/significant other CHRIST's way (1 Corinthians 13). Pray today. Ask the Lord to show you His love for you. Ask Him to allow that love to over flow through you to others. Ask Him to show you that even if you are "alone" you don't have to be lonely because He is with you. Ask Him to open your eyes to see the love notes He leaves. I promise you, He leaves them everywhere. We are just so often caught up that we miss them. Don't miss them today, loves. He's pursuing you!


 
I hope reading this was encouraging to you. My intent is never to judge or condemn, but in love to reveal God's heart for you as He reveals it to me. 

I love you. But God loves you more!! Happy Valentine's Day <3! 

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself." Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT)

(My promise ring. Jesus, my Hope, is my Husband first and always <3)