The Story of Saint Valentine
February the fourteenth of course is Valentine’s Day. It is a day for celebrating the romantic love between men and women. It is also a day when Jared, Hallmark, and FTD Flowers celebrate an increase in their revenue. I don’t think many people know the real story behind all the candy, flowers, and heart-shaped cards. While it is good that we celebrate love and marriage, we need to remember the man who was Saint Valentine.
Valentine lived during the time of Claudias II. This evil Roman emperor persecuted the church and outlawed marriage. The time in which Valentine lived was much like today in that it was a very permissive society. All lifestyles were permitted and encouraged, except traditional marriage. Valentine refused to submit to laws that subverted the will of God. He was eventually imprisoned and tortured to death for performing marriage ceremonies against the commands of Emperor Claudias.
We know that there are many similarities between the time of Valentine’s life and ours. In the permissive society that we live in, traditional and Godly marriage is under attack. Today the government and the court system have proven to be anti-God and anti-marriage. For this reason, now more than ever, we need people like Valentine. People who will stand and say no to an evil and corrupt culture. Remember this, when loving righteousness and serving God becomes a crime, then being an outlaw will be honorable.
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“And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:18, 21-24 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/gen.2.18-22.NKJV
Douglas & Deborah Huff
From Down Where the Pavement Ends
email-douglas@pavementendsministry.com
