Love for a Lifetime

Marriage is defined as a union of two individuals. God phrases it as two becoming one. This means that we no longer strive to please our self, but to submit to one another as joint heirs to the Kingdom of God (1 Peter 3:7). We no longer promote our own agenda, but meld our ideas to formulate a new way of life, which meets both of our needs.

When one person in the couple gives more than the other person, there is an inequity in both power and fulfillment. This imbalance will throw off the symmetry of the relationship and fuel negative emotions, which destroy intimacy. If undetected or not dealt with, they will erode even the best of relationships.

In a Godly marriage, both partners build up one another in love (1 Thessalonians 5:11), bear with one another (Ephesians 4:2), help to carry each other's burdens (Colossians 3:13), edify each other rather than to criticize or tear one another down (Ephesians 4:29), and find God's will for our marriage by praying together and seeking the Holy Spirit's direction (Jude 1:20).

We all need praise, affirmation, love, appreciation and support. No one likes to be taken for granted, discounted or neglected. We often get too focused on work, children, church activities and community involvement and end up disregarding our mate and family. This is as much of a betrayal as infidelity. Make your mate your priority, second only to God. Spend time as a family and bond for a lifetime.

Prayer:

Father God, You knew us and had every day of our life planned out before we were ever born (Psalm 139:16). You gave woman to man as a helpmate. Teach us to value one another's opinions, because there are many bad decisions, which could have been avoided if a couple discussed and prayed about it prior to carrying it out. Help us to avoid blaming and criticizing and to accept one another, even with all of our idiosyncrasies.

Thought for the Day:

Financial, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual fidelity is the key to marital success.

The Joy Set Before Him

Read: Genesis 29:15-29

“So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” Genesis 29:20 NKJV

In a world of sure uncertainty and increasingly threatening peril right in my own backyard, courage and peace often elude me. Although Paul promises these trials are simply "light and momentary afflictions" (2 Corinthians 4:17), they feel heavy and insurmountable to me while I am experiencing them. I try focusing on eternal promises rather than on my current issue, but sometimes I struggle to walk in hope.

According to Genesis 29:20, Jacob had more faith than I do. He was able to fix his attention on the prize, rather than on the process. He worked seven years to earn Rachel for his wife. Instead of focusing on the time and labor ahead of him, he allowed their love to comfort him. The promise of his true love gave Jacob the optimism and consolation, which he needed to persist through the pain and burden of the years of hard labor. This made fourteen years pass like days.

I love this verse. What an amazing love story we have here with Jacob and Rachel. In the rest of the Biblical account of their life together, and even after death, their love persisted. Jacob preferred the children he fathered with Rachel to his children by Leah and their concubines. His desolation at Joseph’s demise almost killed him, but Benjamin came along to console him during his later years without his beloved. Seeing Joseph again in Egypt brought him great comfort and joy. It renewed his feeling of pure love, since Rachel died in childbirth with Benjamin. 

Jesus also gave us an example of how to endure tragedy, when He faced the prospect of his daunting death on Calvary’s Cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He wrestled with the horrific torture he would face that very night (Luke 22: 41-44). He eventually surrendered His will to His Father’s and focused on the glory set before Him in Heaven, rather than considering the coming pain of the process of His death. Once He did, God sent an angel to strengthen Him.

Today, God promises all mankind the gift of a personal, eternal relationship with beloved Son. The love Jesus has for each one of us rivals the love story between Rachel and Jacob. It starts the moment we turn away from our sins and ask Him to save us. He moves in by His Holy Spirit and resides within us, giving us heaven on earth. The Spirit starts working in our lives – manifesting His fruit in our thoughts, words and deeds (Galatians 5:22-23). His love makes it easier for us to lay aside our fears, foibles and temptations and to look forward to His eternal promises instead. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for loving us, even when our faith fails us. Help us to focus on the joy that You set before us. Remind us that You have a higher purpose for all of our days and that You work out even the negative things in our lives for our good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for The Day:

God jealously wants you all to Himself. He longs to draw you into His loving embrace and to live within you throughout your lifetime.