The Upper Room 14 February 2022 Daily Devotional || Monday Message
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Loving God
Drexel C. Rankin (Kentucky, USA)
TODAY’S READING
1 John 4:16-19
KEY VERSE: We love because [God] first loved us. – 1 John 4:19 (NRSV)
The Upper Room 14 February 2022 MESSAGE
One February morning, I walked into the church’s daycare center and found the room filled with valentines — red hearts, pink hearts, hearts adorned with paper doilies, hearts cut from magazines. They hung from the ceiling; they were posted on bulletin boards and taped to windows; they were scattered on tables. I commented to the director about the delightful display. “Oh,” she explained, “these are valentines that the children made for God.” What a wonderful idea!
Every February, my wife and I send Valentine’s Day cards to our grandchildren to let them know that we love them. But too often I fail to express my love to God. My love for God is a response to God’s divine love for me. We can express our love for God by spending time in God’s presence, enjoying God’s nearness, reading God’s word, and daily seeking to know God better. We also show our love for God in the way we talk, what we do, and how we use our talents.
Every day is made up of hundreds of little moments that are opportunities to love God, and every opportunity matters. I try to include in my morning prayers some verbal “valentine” and, in my daily activities, demonstrations to God that are a simple “I love you” to the One who first loved me.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Loving God, we want to know you and be known by you. May your love radiate from us so that others will know your love. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I will be intentional about showing my love for God today.
PRAYER FOCUS
Someone who needs my love
The Upper Room 14 February 2022 Daily Devotional. The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together. Read More