A VALENTINE’S DAY REMINDER

“We love because He first loved us.”  (1 John 4:19 NIV)

Valentine’s Day has a way of stirring up all kinds of emotions. For some, it’s a day of celebration and connection. For others, it highlights loneliness, loss, or longing. But beneath all the cards, flowers, and heart‑shaped everything lies a deeper truth: love didn’t begin with us. It began with God.

Before you ever loved someone… Before anyone ever loved you… Before you succeeded, failed, rejoiced, or wept… God loved you first.

His love is not fragile or fickle. It doesn’t depend on your performance or your perfection. It doesn’t fade with time or shift with circumstances. It is steady, initiating, pursuing, and unchanging.

Valentine’s Day reminds us that human love, beautiful as it is, can only ever be a reflection of a greater love. The cross is the truest Valentine ever given: God saying, “I choose you. I want you. I love you enough to give everything for you.”

And because God loved us first, we are free to love others without fear. Free to forgive. Free to serve. Free to show kindness. Free to love even when it’s hard, because we’re not drawing from our own limited quantity -- we’re drawing from God’s endless supply. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

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A PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

The push for power has come to shove. And most of us are either pushing or being pushed.

I might point out the difference between a passion for excellence and a passion for power. The desire for excellence is a gift from God, much needed in society. It is characterized by respect for quality and a yearning to use God’s gifts in a way that pleases Him.

There are certain things you can do that no one else can. Perhaps it is parenting, or constructing houses, or encouraging the discouraged. There are things that only you can do, and you are alive to do them. In the great orchestra that we call life, you have an instrument and a song, you owe it to God to play them both sublimely.

But there is a canyon of difference between doing your best to glorify God and doing whatever it takes to glorify yourself. The quest for excellence is a mark of maturity. The quest for power is childish. 

-- Max Lucado in “The Applause of Heaven”

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AND HE BROUGHT HIM TO JESUS

^“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” (John 1:40-42a NIV)

We don't hear much more about Andrew except that he was always bringing people to Jesus (John 6:8, 12:22). But Simon Peter, his brother, went on to be one of the greatest influences in the history of Christianity. We cannot all be Simon Peters, but we can all do what Andrew did -- we can bring someone to Jesus.

Albert McMackin was a 24-year-old farmer who had come to faith in Christ. He was so full of enthusiasm that he filled a truck with people and took them to a meeting to hear about Jesus. There was a good-looking farmer's son whom he especially wanted to get to a meeting, but this young man was hard to persuade. He was busy falling in and out of love with different girls and did not seem to be attracted to Christianity. Eventually, Albert McMackin managed to persuade him to come by asking him to drive the truck. When they arrived, Albert's guest decided to go in. He was spellbound and began to have thoughts he had never known before. He went back again and again until one night he went forward and gave his life to Jesus Christ. That man, the driver of the truck, was Billy Graham. The year was 1934. [Throughout his ministry Billy Graham (1918-2018) led hundreds of thousands] to faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot all be like Billy Graham, but we can all be like Albert McMackin  -- we can all bring our friends to Jesus. 

-- Nicky Gumbel in Alpha’s “Questions of Life: A Practical Introduction to the Christian Faith”

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THE MOSES OF HER PEOPLE

Imagine a woman, barely five feet tall, with a scar on her head from a childhood injury, and no formal education. She’s born into slavery, escapes it, and then -- against all logic and fear -- goes back. Not once, but again and again.

Her name? Harriet Tubman (1822-1913). Harriet was called the “Moses of her people.” And like Moses, she believed that freedom was not just a dream—it was a divine promise. She said, “I always told God, I’m going to hold steady on You, and You’ve got to see me through.”

And He did. Tubman led at least 70 enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad. She never lost a single passenger. Not one.

She didn’t have maps. She couldn’t read. She couldn’t even rely on people to hide her -- because if they were caught, they’d face prison or worse. But she had something else: she had faith.

Harriet said that every time she stepped onto a path in the woods, every time she knocked on a door or waited in a swamp for the cover of night, she prayed: “Lord, go with me. Make me invisible.”

And sometimes, it was as if she was. Slave catchers passed within feet of her group and never saw them. Dogs couldn’t catch their scent. Fires stayed low. She credited it all to the power of God.

Later, during the Civil War, she even led military raids, guiding Union troops to free more than 700 enslaved people in a single night.

But it all started with faith. Not faith in herself. Not faith in a cause. But faith in a God who sees the oppressed, and acts. That’s mountain-moving faith. Faith that risks everything, not just to believe, but to rescue. The kind of faith that says: “Even if I walk into darkness, You are my light.” 

-- Excerpted from Wikipedia

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FAITH ON THE BIGGEST STAGE

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  (1 Corinthians 9:25)

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched events in the world. Millions tune in. Players train for years. Coaches strategize. Fans cheer. And for one team, the night ends with confetti, a trophy, and a moment they’ll remember forever.

But even the greatest victory on the field eventually fades. The trophy gathers dust. The cheers die down. The spotlight moves on.

Paul understood this when he wrote to the Corinthians. He pointed to athletes who discipline themselves for a prize that doesn’t last -- then reminded believers that our prize is eternal.

The world celebrates temporary victories. Heaven celebrates transformed lives.

The Super Bowl is a reminder that preparation matters, discipline matters, teamwork matters  -- but it also reminds us that earthly glory is fleeting. The real victory is living a life secured in Christ, running the race with perseverance, and keeping our eyes fixed on the One who never fades from view.

Faith doesn’t promise an easy game. But it promises a faithful Coach, a powerful Spirit, a supportive Church, and a Victory in Jesus that cannot be taken away.

The Super Bowl may crown a champion for a night, but faith crowns a victor for a lifetime. The field fades, the cheers quiet, but the life centered in Christ plays for a glory that never ends. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

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