DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: MAY 2 LOVE IN CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE (1) SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 13: 3, 6-7; Eph. 13: 3
In every marriage, love is central. Love is the foundation of every marriage. It makes the spouses agree they fell in love with one another before marriage. Love is the backbone of continuous existence of marriages. Where love begins to fade, sweetness of marriage begins to diminish. The most frequent message preached in marriage is love. The most expected compliment of husbands and wives towards one another is shower of love. This means that the husband expects the wife to love him and at the same time the wife is full of expectations that the husband should love her. To most Christian wives, commandment to love is for the husbands according to Eph. 5: 25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…” (NKJV). Therefore, they are to only submit to their husbands and not to bother themselves seeking for ways to show love to their husbands.
This devotional focuses on an ugly circumstance where the wives are complaining of not being loved and the husbands are also complaining of not been loved in marriage. Some of these complaints circled around thinking of “I am not enjoying the relationships as it should be. My spouse is not staying closer, not bothering how I feel, not interested in me any longer…” and so on. In this kind of marriage, the missing substance is love. Both the husbands and the wives are looking toward one another as one who ought to show love first. However, this devotional is seeing thing differently. Readers are going to be told that giving out love, as far as Christian marriage is concerned is the duty of the husbands and the wives.
In Christian marriage, to love is a responsibility of both parties. Husbands and wives should look at Apostle Paul’s position of love. He saw love as the pillar of relationships. He said if he should give all he possesses to the poor and surrender his body to the flame, but has no love, he will gain nothing… (1 Cor. 13: 3). In all quality, a husband and wife should have, if love is not added, the marriage is standing on a shaking foundation. This goes to say that both husbands and wives are duty bound to love one another in marriage. The husbands and the wives who always shift blames to one another on the ground of insufficient show of love should know this; it takes loving your spouse for your spouse to love you. This means that in marriage, you can be loved if you want. The following series will attempt unveiling the facts on this phrase “You can be loved in your marriage.” You are welcome to part two of the devotional tomorrow.
PRAYER:
Father, show me the true perspectives of how to love my spouse as you and your Son Jesus love one another in Jesus name.
POSITIVE DECLARATION:
I am a symbol of love for my spouse. I am out to make the different in the marriage.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch