The first valentine was a man not a message. One version of the story tells us that Saint Valentine was a young pagan priest in Rome during the reign of Claudius II. Despite his devotion to idolatry, Valentine was horrified by the persecution Rome unleashed on the Christians. Secretly, he assisted the embattled believers. He was caught and imprisoned. Converted to Christianity while in prison, he was clubbed to death on February 14, 269.
Before his death, he often wrote to family and friends and assured them of his love for them. According to one version, the imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with the jailor's young daughter who visited Valentine during his incarceration. Tradition says that he would thrust his arm out his cell window and pick heart shaped violets with which he wrote “Remember your Valentine” or "From your Valentine" (the expression we use today). He sent the letters by homing pigeons. Before his death, he shortened the message to simply “I love you.”
Somewhere among the shattered pieces of ancient history the truth lay hidden, but we know for certain that our Father has a Valentine’s Day message for all the world. It reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son that who so ever believeth Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He has written the card, not with crushed violets, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Have you accepted God’s invitation to come to Christ? No person -- family or friend -- ever loved you like Jesus! Trust Him as Lord and Savior today! He died for you and came out of the grave alive! He loves you.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment