St. Valentine Got it Right

Nº 237

weekly devotions to refresh your soul by Dr. Dan Bolin - February 14, 2023

In the New Testament, love is more of a verb than a noun. It has more to do with acting than with feeling. The call to love is not so much a call to a certain state of feeling as it is to a quality of action.” - R.C. Sproul

Today we celebrate one of the great heroes of the faith, St. Valentine! Legend tells us that he surreptitiously provided dowery money to young ladies so they could marry the loves of their lives.

One account from the murky past says that he was a priest who was arrested for assisting persecuted Christians. His trial led him to Rome and put him before Claudius II. Instead of defending his actions, he shared the gospel with the pagan emperor. This enraged the monarch who summarily had Valentine beheaded.

The story is certainly encrusted with errors and embellishments, but the core of his life is worth honoring. If any of this is true, he did two things well: he loved people sacrificially, and he shared the good news courageously.

Paul’s final letter is filled with last-minute instructions for his young mentee, Timothy. He issued two very simple and significant commands: “be kind to everyone” (2 Timothy 2:24) and “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Making sacrifices for others and sharing the good news of God’s love (demonstrated by the sacrifice of His Son for us) seems to be what Saint Valentine did well. He got those two things right – and so can we!

Dan Bolin

Author & President

Refueling in Flight Ministries, Inc.