February 13th, 2023
Written by Angie Drummonds
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. –1 Corinthians 13:4–8
What is love?
The answer to that question depends on who you ask. Everyone seems to have varying opinions on what love truly means. But to have a real understanding of what love should be, we look to the only one who knows how love was created to be for each of us. The One who demonstrated true love for each of us.
The Bible describes love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as God intended it to be. Love is patient, kind, selfless, humble, forgiving, understanding, peaceful, trusting, hopeful, enduring, and the best part, “Love never ends!” This is the foundation of love in its truest sense. Unfortunately, this isn’t always how we understand love to be.
This month, Pastor Jason’s sermon series has been on Family Foundations, and how the family is built on the firm foundation of God’s word. It is on this foundation of truth, where we must keep ourselves, our relationships, and our families.
It seems traditional marriage and families are under attack in the culture around us. The Bible tells us the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy and I personally feel the first place he wants to do exactly these things is within the family. What better way to destroy, than to attack the unity and oneness of marriage?
Life is a journey of continual seasons of change. We experience good times and bad times. And even though we have an enemy seeking to destroy us, the great news about marriage is that God gives us a life-long partner, a best friend, and a help mate to help us face life’s difficulties and withstand the attacks of the enemy. Having someone to be there in all those seasons helps us be stronger. As Ecclesiastes 4 tells us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?”
The love between a husband and wife is one of the most beautiful things we can experience. Love that truly imitates Christ’s love for us will cause us to be selfless. This type of love is shown most often when you face difficult situations such as sickness, job loss, the loss of a loved one, or other storms that can come quickly out of nowhere. It is in these times that we need each other the most. Being there for your spouse when they are going through hard situations shows the true depths of the love you have for them. Just as God is there for us no matter what we face, we too should be there for each other through the storms we face.
Love is remembering that you and your spouse are on the same team, fighting toward the same goals. You aren’t fighting against each other, you are fighting for each other. I heard a story the other day about a coach yelling at his basketball players who were fighting each other for the ball. He yelled out, “You are on the same team!” We aren’t trying to beat each other, or to “win” arguments; we are on the same team. Love helps us remember that we are in this together, forever!
Marriage is a bond that was never meant to be broken. When we keep God’s word in our marriage, and imitate the love He has demonstrated throughout scripture for us, we will have marriages that last and a love that knows no limits or boundaries, a love that is exactly how it should be; how it was created by God to be…absolutely beautiful!
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. –1 Corinthians 13:4–8
What is love?
The answer to that question depends on who you ask. Everyone seems to have varying opinions on what love truly means. But to have a real understanding of what love should be, we look to the only one who knows how love was created to be for each of us. The One who demonstrated true love for each of us.
The Bible describes love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as God intended it to be. Love is patient, kind, selfless, humble, forgiving, understanding, peaceful, trusting, hopeful, enduring, and the best part, “Love never ends!” This is the foundation of love in its truest sense. Unfortunately, this isn’t always how we understand love to be.
This month, Pastor Jason’s sermon series has been on Family Foundations, and how the family is built on the firm foundation of God’s word. It is on this foundation of truth, where we must keep ourselves, our relationships, and our families.
It seems traditional marriage and families are under attack in the culture around us. The Bible tells us the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy and I personally feel the first place he wants to do exactly these things is within the family. What better way to destroy, than to attack the unity and oneness of marriage?
Life is a journey of continual seasons of change. We experience good times and bad times. And even though we have an enemy seeking to destroy us, the great news about marriage is that God gives us a life-long partner, a best friend, and a help mate to help us face life’s difficulties and withstand the attacks of the enemy. Having someone to be there in all those seasons helps us be stronger. As Ecclesiastes 4 tells us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?”
The love between a husband and wife is one of the most beautiful things we can experience. Love that truly imitates Christ’s love for us will cause us to be selfless. This type of love is shown most often when you face difficult situations such as sickness, job loss, the loss of a loved one, or other storms that can come quickly out of nowhere. It is in these times that we need each other the most. Being there for your spouse when they are going through hard situations shows the true depths of the love you have for them. Just as God is there for us no matter what we face, we too should be there for each other through the storms we face.
Love is remembering that you and your spouse are on the same team, fighting toward the same goals. You aren’t fighting against each other, you are fighting for each other. I heard a story the other day about a coach yelling at his basketball players who were fighting each other for the ball. He yelled out, “You are on the same team!” We aren’t trying to beat each other, or to “win” arguments; we are on the same team. Love helps us remember that we are in this together, forever!
Marriage is a bond that was never meant to be broken. When we keep God’s word in our marriage, and imitate the love He has demonstrated throughout scripture for us, we will have marriages that last and a love that knows no limits or boundaries, a love that is exactly how it should be; how it was created by God to be…absolutely beautiful!
1 Comment
Beautifully Written! Great read!