Today marks Valentine’s Day, highly commercialized, and celebrated by lovers. Not that it is wrong to do so; but weightier is God’s love that we should be celebrating daily. This is my beloved Son; listen to him.1
Why should we listen to Jesus? Who is Jesus? What has he done for us?
And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, ‘”The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, . . .”’ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?”2 No mortal can claim Jesus to be his son for he is God. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”3 God revealed who Jesus is. He is Creator of heaven and earth. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth . . . all things were created through him and for him.4 Jesus is the Word of God that became flesh.5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.6 Jesus is Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.7 We can trust his counsel for his word is truth.8
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that hose who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.10
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.11 Our obedience is predicated by an understanding of who we are in Christ. We are a new creation. The old is gone the new has come.12 We are chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.13
What if we don’t listen to Jesus? It is disobedience to God and we suffer the consequences: We stumble;14 we are deluded;15 our hearts are hardened;16 we are bound by sin;17 we feel defeated;18 and we are shipwrecked in the faith.19
How long shall you continue in disbelief? Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.21
Notes:
1. Mark 9:7
2. Mark 12:35-37
3. Mark 1:11
4. Colossians 1:15-20
5. John 1:14
6. John 1:1-5
7. 1 Corinthians 1:24
8. John 17:17
9. Romans 5:8
10. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
11. 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20
12. 2 Corinthians 5:17
13. 1 Peter 2:9
14. 1 Peter 2:8
15. 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
16. Matthew 13:14-15
17. John 8:31
18. Romans 7:15-24a
19. 1 Timothy 1:19
20. Isaiah 55:6-7
21. Revelations 3:20
