Week of February 8th, 2026

Encouragement from God's Word

Matthew 10:37
“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

Would Jesus dislike Valentine’s Day? In the verse above he says we have to love him more than anyone else.

Jesus is not telling us that we should not love others. Far from it. He put those people into our lives. He was talking about priorities. When our priorities are in line with God’s will – and we put God first, our relationships with others get better.

C.S. Lewis, a Christian writer said this, “When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.”

With God as the center of our hearts and lives, we learn what love really is. Love is God’s sacrifice of his own Son in order to save us. Love is God’s commitment to us, in spite of our weaknesses and repeated sins. Love is God declaring to himself and to us that he has made us to be his own for all eternity and his love will not end.

Knowing that love changes us. We are daily renewed in our hope and confidence as we face life and our own failures. God’s love does not change!

That is how we learn to love in a way that is far greater than any love this world knows. We learn to love others as we are loved. We sacrifice and forgive because that is what is best for others. We serve in humility because that is what our Lord has called us to do.

This love for others does not push God aside, but it grows stronger as we grow deeper in our love for what God has done for us.

Do you want to improve your relationships in a marriage or in a family or with friends? Grow into Christ as you hear and believe his Word. See who you really are in Him. His love will show you the path to true love for others.