A young man had been shuffling through the Valentine display in the local card shop for at least an hour. The clerk finally asked him if he needed any help. “I need something that expresses longing, devotion, passion, and undying love,” the young man said. The clerk searched deep in the stack and found a card that said, “To My One and Only Love.” The young man’s eyes lit up as he said, “That’s perfect! Give me four of those!”

While the young man appears to have had a great capacity for what the world would call love, he had little capacity for what God calls love. He, like so many people in our society, was lacking the foundational key of commitment. The escalating rate of divorces and broken homes in our nation is testimony to the shallowness of modern relationships.

When a young man and woman step to the marriage altar to recite their vows, they are pledging “till death do us part”. But, what does that pledge mean if the couple does not have the character of honesty and commitment backing that pledge?

As we think of the love of God for us, we see the greatness of His commitment – He gave His Son, His all, His life, that we might enjoy His presence for all eternity. His commitment to us is rooted in His character – He is ever faithful to His promises. Because of His character, we can rest for both time and eternity in the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Love is more than an emotion – it is a stewardship in the will of God. “Morever it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

When you declare your love, back that declaration with lasting commitment!

Written by Dr. Bud Steadman.