Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Love Dare #5: Popping the Question

I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. John 13:34

From both of us...Brent and Becky:
Marriage is a promise to love unconditionally. For better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live...

These are big promises. Weighty words that, in our own efforts, are very difficult to fulfill.

Warm and fuzzies wear off, husbands snore, wives nag, children scream. Love is much easier when life is easy. But when jobs are lost, illness strikes, bills are running over, then what? Where do we pull from to still love our spouse?

"You cannot give what you do not have. You must have the love of Christ before you can truly give unconditional love to anyone else." - Dare to Love

In Christ, a never-ending, over-flowing spring of love can rise up in us. I know this to be true. His love lives in a believer. It is rather amazing.

God is love. 1 John 4:16

He is not just a part love. Love is not just something He does. It is who He is.

And God offers this love to us - His love to cover us and to live in us.

"Jesus is calling on you to accept that He loves you and to love Him back. When He becomes your source, then you will have the love it takes to value your marriage and to serve your spouse as a gift from God." - Dare to Love

God offers His unconditional love freely - as a gift. An undeserved gift, at that.

Receiving His gift begins a relationship with Him. Notice, I didn't say, "begins a religion with Him."

No.

Accepting His love begins a relationship.

A relationship with the ultimate Source of love.

Imagine.

Even more, God not only wants to love you and enter into a relationship with you. He wants to love on your spouse...through you. He wants to restore your marriage. Restore your joy and give deep fulfillment, meaning and purpose in your life.

LOVE DARE #5

Love is a choice, not a feeling. Love is an initiated action, not a knee jerk reaction. Choose today to be committed to love even if your spouse has lost interest in receiving it. Try saying in words similar to these, "I love you. Period. I choose to love you even if you don't love me in return."

Love Note: This kind of love is impossible without the love of Christ beating in your heart. His presence within you will enable you to love, even when your marriage seems very one-sided.

- Dare to Love

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How do we enter into a relationship with God?


1) God wired us for relationship: God loves us and created us to know Him personally. (John 3:16, John 17:3)

But what prevents us from knowing Him?

2) Relationship is broken: We are sinful and separated from God. Because of our sin we cannot know Him personally or experience His love and plan. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)





3) Jesus restores: To fix this broken relationship God sent Jesus Christ as His only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience His love and plan. We can not earn this. It is offered. (Romans 5:8, John 14:6)


4) God is popping the question...and waiting on our response. Just knowing this isn't enough. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love and plan. (John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8,9)

Once we have entered into this relationship with God, we now can begin to understand the essence of Romans 5:8. While we were sinners Christ died for us.

And in turn when your spouse sins, you understand can forgive them and love them unconditionally.

Have you ever made this decision? Have you said "yes" to God's offer?

For more on this visit here.

Feel free to contact me (Becky) if you'd like to talk more about this. It would be such an honor.

2 comments:

  1. For most, marriage is not a big deal now a day coz you can easily get a divorce. That's the sad thing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, I didn't get to ask my mister any questions over popcorn after the kids went to bed...we ended up being able to go on a DATE instead! I thought you'd be glad to know that! :)

    ReplyDelete

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