‘And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Romans 8:38-39(NLT)
‘But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ‘ Romans 5:8(NLT)
‘Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.’ 1 John 4:7-8(NLT)
‘Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! ‘ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8(NLT)
They had been married less than a year. She stood by him as he battled some addictions early in their marriage, but when he began to see victory in that battle, he changed.
He said he loved her when they married, but he was a different person now. He wanted to discover? who this new person was, and unfortunately he didn’t see the need to include her in his search. There was nothing she could do about it, he said. He just didn’t love her any more.
The irony is that this husband claimed to be a Christian. But obviously something was missing. Did he really understand God’s love? Did He recognize his need to demonstrate a love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7)?
Begin this new year together in your marriage with a commitment to knowing God and His love for you. The more you understand that love, the more you will love your spouse in the same way. This is what we pledge in marriage—to love each other “till death do us part.” That means we will love each other no matter what happens, no matter how we hurt each other, and no matter how much we change.
There’s something special about knowing that the person who knows you better than anyone, and has walked with you through the ups and downs of life, also loves you unconditionally. As the Rev. Tim Keller says, “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”
Nothing can separate you from God and His love (Romans 8:38-39). Can your spouse say the same about you?
Discuss:
What are some ways your spouse has demonstrated unconditional love for you during the past year? How has that encouraged you?
from The Next Year Of Your Marriage