The Offering As Our Valentine

Let me save some of you guys’ marriages by reminding you that Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget!

Americans love Valentine’s Day. We must, as we will spend 24 BILLION dollars expressing our love for that special someone. Last year, the average spent was $174. Would it surprise you that men spend more than women? Also, 35-44-year-olds spend the most on Valentine’s Day. Here are some interesting Valentine’s Day spending facts.

We spend…

• $6.2 billion on jewelry.
• $2.3 billion on flowers.
• $2.2 billion on candy. I bet most of that is on chocolate!

That is a lot of love! We do this not to BUY the love of our Valentine but to EXPRESS our love. A gift given without strings or expectations is a gift given in love.

That is the right way to think of the offering time at church. We try and show you every week how your dollar given here is used to impact our community and world for Christ. We are admonished to give by Scripture. Giving is an act of obedience to God’s Word. Yet, for a disciple, giving is also an act of love. We give because God has given to us. Our offering is one way we show our love to Him for all he has done for us.

The hymn writer, Isaac Watts, summed this up well in When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. He talks about what Christ did for us. The last verse says, “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” That is a Valentine’s statement to God!

So, as we focus on the offering today, let your gift be a token expressing your love for Christ for all He has done for us! Let our gifts today say “I love you, Lord!”