A Greater Love

A Valentine's Day Message from David Jeremiah

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greeks have multiple words to express love—agape, eros, philautia, philia, storge and xenia, just to name a few. Each of these words convey a different type of love from romantic to familial to an all-encompassing unconditional love. In the English language we don't have nearly as many terms to distinguish one type of love from another. Instead, the word love can cover a multitude of feelings, emotions and behaviors.

Around the world the word love is translated in different ways. And the emotion is expressed in a variety of customs based on the culture.

What does connect love among languages and cultures is that it is a universal human emotion. Every human is born with the innate desire to love and be loved. It's this desire that has made Valentine's Day a major commercial success. According to the National Retail Federation, in 2025 the average amount spent on a person for Valentine's Day was $188.81. People magazine reported that more than 35 million heart-shaped chocolate boxes are sold each year.

While its history is long and varied, in modern society Valentine's Day is special for many people. It's an annual tradition to have a special day dedicated to celebrating love. Typically, romantic love, but there are those who use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to show love to everyone in their life. It's also a great opportunity to share the one love that will never be extinguished, a love that supersedes all others, that is unending, unearned and enduring—God's love.

There are many Bible verses that expound on God's love (emphasis added) —

• 1 John 4:8
  ^"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
• 1 John 4:16
  ^"And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."
• John 3:16
  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
• Romans 5:8
  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
• Ephesian 2:4-5
  "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ."
• Psalm 103:8 (NIV)
  "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love" (NIV).

The entire Bible details God's love for humanity. From cover to cover we can trace His love for His people. Agape love is how it's described by the writers of the New Testament. It's not earned, we can't lose it and it's a love we might not be able to completely understand this side of eternity. But it's available to anyone and everyone. You just have to accept it.

When you do, an incredible thing happens, love abounds in you. It's one of the gifts that comes from relationship with Christ. The New Testament writers called this love philia—brotherly love or friendship. It's a love we could use more of in the world today.

This Valentine's Day take a moment to thank God for the love He shares with His children and ask Him to increase your capacity to love others and to share and show that love to those around you.

Hear Dr. Jeremiah share more about God's love here.

Dr. David Jeremiah is a renowned Bible teacher, New York Times bestselling author, and founder/host of Turning Point Broadcast Ministry. With forty years of ministry and "just getting started," his teaching has led to the creation of the ProphecyExplained, PerhapsToday, the IMAGINE campaign, Airship Genesis, PassagesTV, and Why the Nativity?, to name a few.

About Turning Point
Turning Point Ministries was founded in 1982 as Dr. David Jeremiah's broadcast ministry to deliver the unchanging Word of God to an ever-changing world. More than four decades later, with a multimedia network featuring radio, television, online programming, magazines, and books, Turning Point reaches people around the globe with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Turning Point is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization wholly supported by patrons and not underwritten by any church or organization.

SOURCE Turning Point Ministries