Welcome to
iwantthemtoremember.com! This is the first day of a week of Valentine’s Devotions for Families using Biblical passages on love.

If your family is at all like mine, you need Biblical reminders of how to love one another all year long, but the Valentine season is a great time to emphasize God’s teachings on love. Spend a week in February (or anytime really) encouraging your family to love with Valentine’s devotions. I suggest you start the Sunday before Valentine’s and celebrate love all week, but you can use them however is best for your family. Links for each day will be added at the end of this post as they are complete. I pray these Valentine’s Devotions for Families bless your family in Christ.

Day One: Without Love

Opening Activity

Gather a variety of children’s percussion instruments, such as drums, cymbals, or maracas. If you don’t have any of these on hand, make your own or just use the pots and pans from the kitchen for drums and a box of salt or oatmeal or something similar to shake.

Prepare a list of familiar children’s such as Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Ring Around the Roses, Mary Had a Little Lamb, The B-I-B-L-E, etc. You can print the names of the songs on separate slips of paper for older children, or just whisper the title to younger children.

One at a time, give each family member a song and an “instrument.” The person plays the rhythm of the song while others try guess the name. (This should be slightly difficult to illustrate the point.)

Scripture Study

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

In the previous chapters Paul has just finished an explanation of spiritual gifts, but wants the readers to understand that the gifts must be used with love rather than for glorifying or bringing attention to themselves.

The first gift Paul mentions is speaking in languages or tongues of men and angels. What does the gift look like in the lives of Christians today? (Wait for answers, then continue.)

Speaking in the tongues of men may refer to those who are gifted speakers who can use eloquent words. Whether in personal conversations or before a crowd, God has given some Christians the ability to speak exceptionally well, especially when sharing about Jesus.

Christians explain speaking in the tongue of angels in different ways.  For some Christians this means speaking in tongues, as the disciples did when the Holy Spirit first came upon believers. Others call this an unknown tongue or prayer language. (Discuss your family’s beliefs on speaking in tongues.)

Without love, the best speaker is like a clanging symbol or noisy gong. It’s just a lot of noise. When we tried to play a song without notes, it was hard to recognize. We might have eventually gotten the meaning from the rhythms, but it was meant to have a memorable tune. So speaking without love will not really convey the message we are trying to share.

In the next verse, Paul writes about the gifts of prophecy, knowledge, and faith. What do these gifts look like in the lives of Christians today? (Wait for answers, then continue.)

We think of prophecy as telling the future, which was often true in Biblical times, but it also refers to preaching God’s Word both then and today. The gift of knowledge is the supernatural ability to understand things that are a mystery to other, especially the things of God. God has given some pastors and teachers today the ability to understand and explain important spiritual teachings or theology. Other Christians have the ability to give godly counsel or advice using the wisdom and knowledge from Scripture. Those with faith more readily believe God for the impossible. Maybe you know people who are called prayer warriors because of their faith and faithfulness in prayer.

Without love, what are Christians who have the gifts of prophecy, knowledge, and faith? (Wait for answer.) NOTHING. No matter how good we look on the outside, we are nothing if we don’t have love.

In the last verse, Paul writes about the gift of giving and self-sacrifice. How do we see these gifts used today? (Wait for responses.) We have many chances to give to others. Whether it’s collecting canned goods for the local food pantry or helping a neighbor in need, giving makes us and others feel good. Some Christians, like missionaries and Christians in other countries, give their very lives for the gospel. They surrender their bodies to a life without modern comforts and sometimes even death.

What good does it do us to give our possession or even our lives without love? (Allow time to respond.) It profits us nothing. Zilch. Nada.

When you serve without love, the person you are serving is helped, but your service is so much more effective when they can see the love of Christ through you.  And when serving with love, YOU receive eternal rewards as well.

Family Affirmation and Application

Think of a gift or talent God has given each family member and put it in the place of the gifts used in 1 Corinthians 1:1-3. For example: Zoe can sing and play the guitar well in church, but without love it is just noise. Sawyer can make really creative Lego creations, but if he doesn’t love, it is for nothing.

Either a parent can say one statement for all of the children, or let each child say one about him or herself or a sibling or parent.

Worship in Song

If time permits, listen to one of the following songs. Put them on the television for family member to see the lyrics if possible.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the many gifts you have given our family. We are blessed in so many ways. Please help us to use each of our talents with love so that it may bless ourselves and others. Let us make showing love more important than being thanked or recognized for what we do. We love because you first loved us. Thank you for your love, especially for your love in sending Jesus to save us. In Jesus name, amen.

More Valentine’s Devotions for Families

Thank you for joining me for Valentine’s Devotions for Families. I am sharing this with my children and youth group because I want them to remember the importance of living a life of love. I hope it helps your loved ones remember as well.