Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” [g] 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3: 14-18
In Elizabeth Browning’s poem “How Do I Love Thee” she said;
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My    s oul can    reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and    candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; Ilovetheepurely, as they turnfromPraise.
I love with a pas­sion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee witha loveIseemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and,    if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death. “

This one of the most sublime poems on love I ever read. It is a well- rounded expression of human love expressed a human, and as long as she lived she loved but there is no longer loving after death. The Bible says that “ 5For the living know they will die; but the dead (I)do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their (J)memory is forgotten. 6Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already per­ished, and they will no longer have a (K)share in all that is done under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9: 5,6

The love of God goes a lot far­ther than that. He gave His own Son to die as ransom for us. To illustrate this point I want to share with you this story I just read. Please read it carefully and prayerfully so that you can understand and get the bless­ing.
God’s Grace “Life without God is like an un­sharpened pencil - it has no point.”

“I wonder how many people will delete this without reading it be­cause of the title. It is a shame but this message is very true. Hope you are all as blessed as I was by this story.
“There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak ....““I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swing­ing this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, “What do you have there, son?” “Just some old birds,” came the reply. “What are you going to do with them?” I asked. “Take ‘em home and have fun with ‘em,” he answered. “I’m gonna tease ‘em and pull out their feathers to make ‘em fight. I’m gonna have a real good time.” “But you’ll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?”
“Oh, Igotsome cats,” saidthe little boy. “They like birds. I’ll take ‘em to them.”

The pastor was silent for a moment. “How much do you want for those birds, son?” “Huh?? !!! Why, you don’t want them birds, mister. They’re just plain old field birds. They don’t sing. They ain’t even pretty!” “How much?” the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pas­tor as if he were crazy and said, “$10?”
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy’s hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars per­suaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. “Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn’t resist. Got ‘em all!”
“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked. Satan replied, “Oh, I’m gonna have fun! I’m gonna each them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I’m gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I’m really gonna have fun!”

“And what will you do when you are done with them? “Jesus asked. “Oh, I’ll kill ‘em,” Satan glared proudly. “How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked. “Oh, you don’t want those people. They ain’t no good. Why, you’ll take them and they’ll just hate you. They’ll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don’t want those people!!”

“How much? He asked again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “All your blood, tears and your life.” Jesus said, “DONE!” Then He paid the price.
“The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.”

Yes, the story shows us how uch God loves us that He is illing to sacrifice Hi own Son’s lood, sweat, and life so we could et us out of Satan’s trap. We are o longer doomed to die for our ins because Jesus Christ the Son f God gave His life on the cross so hat we will live if we accept God’s Valentine gift for us. Satan is having un right now just as he said e would, but his time for fun is hort, and he is mad. God will put n end to his malice against God’s reation, and will punish him with verlasting destruction. Genesis :15, Revelation 20: 10, 14 esus invites us to share the good ife with him forever. In Revelation
3: 19-22 we read, 1” Those hom I love I rebuke and discipline. o be earnest and repent. 20 ere I am! I stand at the door and nock. If anyone hears my voice nd opens the door, I will come n and eat with that person, and hey with me. 21 To the one who s victorious, I will give the right to it with me on my throne, just as I as victorious and sat down with y Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what he Spirit says to the churches.” At our hearts door, the door can only be opened from inside. We are the ones to open when Jesus knocks and he comes in. He will not force himself in, unlike Satan who will, by hook or by crook, will try to force himself in. But when he does that, and he finds Jesus sitting with us at our table having Valentine dinner, he will say, “Oops, wrong address” and will run away. This is why, if we have not given our hearts to Jesus as his Valentine, it’s about time to do it. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 3:15. (also see verses 7-11). HAPPY VALENTINES TO THE LORD AND TO YOU ALL.

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