God is calling EACH of us back to our first love.
All one has to do is look at the state of many 'Christian' marriages today and see that something is terribly wrong with the relationship between husbands and wives.
The love of God is unconditional:
God's Word version:
1Co 13:4 Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant.
1Co 13:5 It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs.
1Co 13:6 It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth.
1Co 13:7 Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.
1Co 13:8 Love never comes to an end.
When God created mankind, He created them in His image and likeness. Scripture says that "God is love" and if God is love then we were created to love and live in that love and sow that love and reap that love and minister that love. In the beginning it was so, scripture tells us it was. Sin entered in and that relationship of being connected to the One who is 'love' stopped. Now instead of being love, we needed to be loved. Needing to be loved brings with it hurts (being offended or offending someone) disappointments, discouragement, depression, anger, frustration, condemnation, guilt and all the other negative emotional baggage that goes with that selfish love. We expect our spouse to meet our needs and they expect us to meet theirs and it just doesn't happen the way we want it to. Hope begins to fade, disagreements happens, stuff happens, someone's need isn't being met and there is someone willing to step in and take our place. Sadly, relationships based on the world (selfish) can't be satisfied.
Praise the Lord for Jesus! Jesus is now our Lord. Now we are "Christians" saved by grace. What do you do with this grace? You get into the word of God and learn about Jesus. This grace DOES NOT give you license to sin. Study Him, find out how He responded to people and situations and then you ask Holy Spirit to conform you into His image and likeness and as you meditate on the word of God, as you read it slowly, chewing on it as a cow does its cud, Holy Spirit will begin to show you areas in your life that need to change, repent and turn back to God and be determined not to repeat it. It may be TV shows, certain books, movies, magazines, that Holy Spirit says, stop doing these things, it does not glorify Me nor does it feed your spirit. If you repeat it, repent, (being even more determined NOT to repeat it) turn back to God and go on WITHOUT condemnation because the blood of Jesus has already washed you clean.
Thank Holy Spirit for loving you and helping you to grow up in Christ. "Thank you that I'm accepted in the beloved. Thank you that I am justified (just as if I never sinned)." Find your identity in Christ and as your 'grow up' in Christ and in the love of God, your perspective will begin to change. You will begin to see your spouse in a different 'light.' You will begin to see them through the eyes of 'love' and you will want to 'do' things for them you haven't done before. For instance a husband can: wash his wife's car or the windows on the house, buy her flowers, make her breakfast and let her eat it in bed, run a bath for her, wash clothes, do the dishes, clean the house, take care of the kids while she goes on errands. Open the car door for her when you go somewhere. Show appreciation for things she does. For wives, prepare a romantic dinner. Take his clothes to the laundry. Iron his clothes. Bake his favorite pie/cake/cookies, etc... Help out in the yard. Greet him at the door with a kiss, take interest in his day. Look nice for him by taking care of yourself. Take the curlers out of your hair before he gets home. Show appreciation to your husband for the things he does do for you. Honor your husband/honor your wife. Support each other in prayers, supplications with THANKSGIVING to the Lord. Be thankful for your spouse. Bring to your remembrance those top 10 things that drew you to one another. You get the jest of what I'm suggesting. It's doing random acts of kindness. If this is something you've not done before, it will take an act of your will to start.
When you live through the eyes of love you will begin to see the needs of others. You will notice your elderly neighbor needs someone to take them to the grocery store, or to get their hair done or they have a doctor's appointment, mow their lawn, etc. You see someone in need, ask how you can be of service/help them, ask if you can pray for them. As you go, preach the kingdom of God is here, Jesus is King (the kingdom of God is in YOU! Heaven is opened to you!) heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received, freely give.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor (spouse, friend, stranger) as yourself.
Husbands and wives, know this: God's love says, if my spouse knew their identity in Christ and walked and lived in the love of God, they would not be doing what they are doing. Jesus cried out on the cross "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!" Love and forgiveness walk hand in hand.
Fall in love with Jesus. Fall in love with Jesus. It's the best thing I've ever done!
All one has to do is look at the state of many 'Christian' marriages today and see that something is terribly wrong with the relationship between husbands and wives.
The love of God is unconditional:
God's Word version:
1Co 13:4 Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant.
1Co 13:5 It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs.
1Co 13:6 It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth.
1Co 13:7 Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.
1Co 13:8 Love never comes to an end.
When God created mankind, He created them in His image and likeness. Scripture says that "God is love" and if God is love then we were created to love and live in that love and sow that love and reap that love and minister that love. In the beginning it was so, scripture tells us it was. Sin entered in and that relationship of being connected to the One who is 'love' stopped. Now instead of being love, we needed to be loved. Needing to be loved brings with it hurts (being offended or offending someone) disappointments, discouragement, depression, anger, frustration, condemnation, guilt and all the other negative emotional baggage that goes with that selfish love. We expect our spouse to meet our needs and they expect us to meet theirs and it just doesn't happen the way we want it to. Hope begins to fade, disagreements happens, stuff happens, someone's need isn't being met and there is someone willing to step in and take our place. Sadly, relationships based on the world (selfish) can't be satisfied.
Praise the Lord for Jesus! Jesus is now our Lord. Now we are "Christians" saved by grace. What do you do with this grace? You get into the word of God and learn about Jesus. This grace DOES NOT give you license to sin. Study Him, find out how He responded to people and situations and then you ask Holy Spirit to conform you into His image and likeness and as you meditate on the word of God, as you read it slowly, chewing on it as a cow does its cud, Holy Spirit will begin to show you areas in your life that need to change, repent and turn back to God and be determined not to repeat it. It may be TV shows, certain books, movies, magazines, that Holy Spirit says, stop doing these things, it does not glorify Me nor does it feed your spirit. If you repeat it, repent, (being even more determined NOT to repeat it) turn back to God and go on WITHOUT condemnation because the blood of Jesus has already washed you clean.
Thank Holy Spirit for loving you and helping you to grow up in Christ. "Thank you that I'm accepted in the beloved. Thank you that I am justified (just as if I never sinned)." Find your identity in Christ and as your 'grow up' in Christ and in the love of God, your perspective will begin to change. You will begin to see your spouse in a different 'light.' You will begin to see them through the eyes of 'love' and you will want to 'do' things for them you haven't done before. For instance a husband can: wash his wife's car or the windows on the house, buy her flowers, make her breakfast and let her eat it in bed, run a bath for her, wash clothes, do the dishes, clean the house, take care of the kids while she goes on errands. Open the car door for her when you go somewhere. Show appreciation for things she does. For wives, prepare a romantic dinner. Take his clothes to the laundry. Iron his clothes. Bake his favorite pie/cake/cookies, etc... Help out in the yard. Greet him at the door with a kiss, take interest in his day. Look nice for him by taking care of yourself. Take the curlers out of your hair before he gets home. Show appreciation to your husband for the things he does do for you. Honor your husband/honor your wife. Support each other in prayers, supplications with THANKSGIVING to the Lord. Be thankful for your spouse. Bring to your remembrance those top 10 things that drew you to one another. You get the jest of what I'm suggesting. It's doing random acts of kindness. If this is something you've not done before, it will take an act of your will to start.
When you live through the eyes of love you will begin to see the needs of others. You will notice your elderly neighbor needs someone to take them to the grocery store, or to get their hair done or they have a doctor's appointment, mow their lawn, etc. You see someone in need, ask how you can be of service/help them, ask if you can pray for them. As you go, preach the kingdom of God is here, Jesus is King (the kingdom of God is in YOU! Heaven is opened to you!) heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received, freely give.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor (spouse, friend, stranger) as yourself.
Husbands and wives, know this: God's love says, if my spouse knew their identity in Christ and walked and lived in the love of God, they would not be doing what they are doing. Jesus cried out on the cross "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!" Love and forgiveness walk hand in hand.
Fall in love with Jesus. Fall in love with Jesus. It's the best thing I've ever done!
