Dear friend,

When February arrives and Valentine’s Day rolls around many people think about love and stories of love. Most people enjoy a good love story. It is the stuff of countless romance novels, poems, songs, and movies.

This past December the movie of Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of the classic musical West Side Story was released. What caught my attention were some of the movie promotions describing it as “the greatest love story ever told.”

Really? Pardon my skepticism, and nothing against West Side Story, but without much effort I can name from history what most would consider to be greater love stories. There is Antony and Cleopatra, whose love was so legendary its story has been told and retold for centuries. Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet—again, another love story so powerful it has to rank as one of the greatest human love stories ever told. Even the movies Casablanca and Gone with the Wind are reputedly more romantic than West Side Story.

Turning to the Bible, we also find some wonderful love stories lived out by real people in many different situations. There was Jacob’s patient love for Rachel for whom he had to wait and work 14 years. In the Song of Songs, we have the pastoral love song about Solomon and the Shulammite maiden with that classic line, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3 NIV). Their love was passionate and so notable it has its own book in the Bible. The story of Ruth and Boaz portrays loving loyalty and the story of Hosea and Gomer shows us the forgiving and compassionate expression of love.

Andy Williams sang, “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing” and all these stories show that by portraying different facets of love—passion, patience, loyalty, forgiveness, and compassion. As the Apostle Paul wrote, love is indeed the greatest quality of all (1 Corinthians 13:13).

As great as these stories might be they are mere shadows of what is truly the greatest love story of all time and which is told in the Bible. The fact is the Bible is one great epic love story that stretches through all of time. It tells of God’s redeeming love for sinful humanity through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. That story is summed up succinctly in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This is the greatest love story and people need to hear it.

That is why Insight for Living Canada exists, to tell the story. But here’s the catch—as great as the story of God’s love is, it has no impact if it isn’t shared. That’s why we need your support.

Can we count on your financial help this month to continuing telling the story?

There was a day in your life when you first heard of God’s love for you. It impacted you for eternity. Now, every day across this country in places you’ll never go, in homes you’ll never enter, and to people you’ll never meet Insight for Living Canada tells this love story so that others can be impacted too. Everyone needs to hear the story of God’s amazing love for them.

It needs to be told. We ask you to help us do that.

Telling His Story,

Steve Johnson

Executive Director

PS Send your financial gift today to join with us in teaching the Bible, the greatest love story ever told.