Weekly Devotional from
Pastor Eddie Jenkins
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
"Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37-39).
St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular account associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.
During his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. This caused the jailer and 44 members of his family to accept Christ and become faithful Christians. Legend states that before his execution he wrote on a small scrap of paper, "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her. This expression "From your Valentine" is still used to this day.
Since it is widely accepted as a day for romantic love, Valentine’s Day always seems like a good time to remind people about another kind of love: the Lord’s love for mankind and for our responsibility to care for neighbors and the needy. But the Bible also speaks of another important yet often overlooked type of love—that of self.
Many Christians are taught to believe that caring for one’s own person is a form of selfishness. Verses are frequently pulled out of context to support this erroneous view. For example, Paul’s remarks about himself use phrases like “foremost sinner” and “wretched man” (1 Timothy 1:15; Romans 7:24). Though these comments may seem disparaging, the apostle is actually glorifying God for the great work done in his life.
Some also challenge the idea of self-love by pointing to the admonition in Luke 14:26 that a man must “hate . . . his own life” to follow Christ. But Jesus is not promoting hostility; rather, He’s explaining that our allegiance to Him must be absolute, even when such loyalty is costly to us or those we love.
No scripture implies that the people God created—whether believers or unbelievers—are undeserving of love. Actually, the opposite is true. Jesus demonstrated that every person has value to God. Self-love should naturally grow out of a recognition that we’re precious to Him.
Yet somehow, over the years, healthy appreciation of self has been mislabeled as egotism or pride. Reverencing one’s own being is not self-centeredness. We’re to care for our body, mind, and soul as treasured possessions given by a God who loves us. And, as Scripture indicates, how can we love others if we don’t love ourselves?
As our hearts turn to thoughts of valentine cards, roses, candy, and romance this week,
perhaps we should consider God’s love for us and how He expects us “love our neighbors as ourselves.”
HAVE A GREAT WEEK WITH JESUS!
Pastor Eddie Jenkins
