My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.

-Song of Songs 2:10

 

When did Valentine's Day begin?  One legend contends that Valentine was a Roman priest who served during the third century. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than married men, he outlawed marriage to keep his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, seeing this injustice, defied Claudius and continued performing marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

There are many even today who devalue the sacred institution of marriage. Turn on the TV any day of the week and you'll see romance and sex with everyone but a married couple. It's time to recapture the romance, the excitement, the ecstasy (the real thing), that comes from enjoying the most sacred institution God has given to mankind. As our marriage goes, sogoes our relationship with our Maker. The opposite is true as well. As we renew our relationship with God, our marriage is also renewed. Love and marriage is a God thing. So today, as Valentine did, let's fight for our marriages; let's celebrate, enjoy and defend the greatest institution God has given to his human creation.

Prayer For The Both of Us: Lord, help us to recapture the excitement, the thrill, the passion of enjoying one another in the holy bonds of matrimony.