Inspirational Bible Verses

Valentine’s Day is celebrated as a day of romantic love. We have visions of red long-stemmed roses, chocolates, Cupid, red velvet cupcakes and romantic dinners. Whether or not you are the recipient of any of these gestures you ARE loved. We can all receive the greatest love ever from the One who IS Love and to love others in return. Inspirational bible verses show us the amazing love that God has for us and how He calls us to love others.

God, the Creator of this vast universe loves you with an everlasting, steadfast love. How much does He love you? The Bible describes the love He has for us as reaching to the heavens…comparing it to the expanse of this universe.

“Yes, I have loved you with an EVERLASTING love…”. Jeremiah 31:3a

“Your STEADFAST love, O LORD, EXTENDS TO THE HEAVENS “. Psalm 36:5 ESV

God loves you personally. He is not a distant God. You are not just a number. He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7), He is aware of every tear you have shed (Psalm 56:8), and His thoughts toward you are precious and more in number than the sand (Psalm 139:17-18).

God also demonstrated His love for you when Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

We can either accept or reject His love. If we turn our back on His love we have decided that we would rather perish (John 3:16). If we accept His love by agreeing with His view of our sins and turning from a self-directed life to one where we trust in and are led by Him, we will experience and know His love with which no earthly love can compare.

For those of us who have received His love, He calls and empowers us to love others as we have never done before. This love for others is the evidence that we are now His.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know god, for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. 1 John 4:20-21

He also tells us how we truly love each other.

* In 1 Corinthians 13 we see that true love is patient, kind, thinks the best of others, and is not envious, boastful, rude, self-seeking or easily irritated.
* We are called to love one another in the same self-sacrificing way that Christ has loved us – A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34).
* We are to love each other fervently, forgiving offenses – “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins”. 1 Peter 4:8

Now for the clincher…He also tells us that this love should not only be toward those who love us. This love should be without any expectation of reciprocity and should also be toward those who are in we may consider “unlovable” .

But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:32-36

When I read this I am convicted. How I fall short!  I should not pass this off as too tall an order. This is THE love that Christ has for us. We are unworthy recipients of His love and grace. We cannot love like this in our own strength but this is the love that He is able to give us for others“…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”. Romans 5:5b

He has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. It is good to celebrate with our loved ones but may we also ask Him to give us His love for the world so that today we will reach out and lend a helping hand to someone who needs it, give a word of encouragement to someone who is discouraged, visit someone who is lonely, comfort someone who is mourning, be kind to someone who is in no position to return the favor, and bless someone who has been unkind to us.  May we experience His extravagant love and be vessels of this love so we can pour this love out on others in return.