February is a month that has several holidays that are celebrated. One of the most popular days is Feb. 14 — Valentines Day. A day that romantics have thoughts of cards, candlelight dinners, maybe even a singing telegram. Yet for others, this time of year brings loneliness, heartbreak, and a longing to be loved.

Turn with me in your Bible to Genesis 29. Here we see two women that were both longing to be loved, but had great disappointment as they looked for love outside of God’s plan. One woman, Rachel, is described as being beautiful in form and appearance. She is the younger sister of Leah. Leah’s only real description in the Bible is that she is older, and had “delicate” eyes. Some believe this means she had bad vision, others believe it means she was crosseyed. Either way, she is the older sister, who is not loved.

The more I study about Leah, the more my heart breaks for her. All she wanted in this life was to be loved. It reminds me of a great many people in our society today. Longing to be loved, they hope that marriage will fill that hole in their heart. Then when they see that their spouse does not fulfill all their needs, they try having children. Being married and having children can be wonderful, but it cannot ever fill the God-sized hole in a person’s life. My friend, you were created by a

My friend, you were created by a loving God who has a plan and a purpose for you. You are so important to Him that He had His Son pay for your sin, and mine, on the cross. Not just so we can go to heaven some day, but to have a fulfilling life today.

Don’t fall into the consumers trap of thinking that 'being loved’ by someone special somehow makes you valued or not valued. Dear reader, you are so loved by the Creator of the entire universe. You are the apple of His eye and He has paid a great price to show you His great love for you, if you will let Him.

Nothing can change God’s love for you.

John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world [you], that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Pastor’s Podium

The Pastor’s Podium column is offered each week by a different pastor or lay person representing an Ellsworth County church.

The week’s columnist is Brett Denham, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Wilson.

The I-R is seeking additional writers for the Pastor’s Podium page. We would like to have all area churches represented. The schedule is rotated so no one writes more than once every three months.

If the pastor or a lay person at your church is interested in writing for this page and is not on the schedule, please call the I-R at (785) 472-5085 for more information.