02/12/2022
Some thoughts and study about "LOVE," and marriage. We often look to
1 Corinthians 13 when looking for instruction about love. That passage is great in defining love.
Today I would like to share a view on attaining love by looking at two very basic Biblical concepts:
(1) It's more blessed to give (love) than to receive
(2) Do (love) unto others as you would have them do unto you
Interesting that neither of these concepts rely on "responding." Both are about "initiating."
A MOMENT OF TRUTH ABOUT A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE
"It's really all up to me and God."
Yes, you abound in faith, love, etc., but “see that you abound in this grace also.” When we give sacrificially, painfully, for the benefit of others, we are faintly and on a small-scale preaching the Gospel message.
Acts 20: 35 - In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:
'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8).
1st Cor. 13: 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.… 6Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.… 8 Love never fails.
Luke 6:31 - Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Matthew 7:12 - So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Ephesians 5:22-25 - 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the LORD. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
So how do we get the best marriage on the planet regardless of where we are in that marriage today?
(1) Forgive yourself because Jesus paid the price of our sins & there is nothing more we can do about passed failures.
(2) Desire to love your spouse more than your spouse loves you.
(3) Desire to bring more peace and joy into your spouse’s life than you have in your own life.
(4) Offer more Grace, Mercy, and Understanding to your spouse than you feel that you are getting.
(5) Christ loved us FIRST and His love for us leads us to love Him. He doesn’t force our obedience, He does not enslave us, and he never asked us to do anything that will harm us, humiliate us, or that is against His Law.
(6) Husbands, lead through love … not legalism. A wife’s willingness to allow her husband to be the leader is between her and God.
(7) Our ability to be a leader is predicated upon our first being obedient to God as to His instructions for us in the marriage.
(8) Don’t “Give” with any preconceived expectation of “Receiving.’ Be the “MORE BLESSED.”
There is a special message here for husbands. God's Word tells men to "love our wives as God loved the Church."
How did God do that?
Are we sometimes “Self-Destructive?” Do we realized that when we hurt the flesh or the heart of our spouse
that we are hurting ourselves as well?
Ephesians 5:31 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh."
Genesis 2:21-24 21So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." 24That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
“The greatest of these is Love!” I love you isn’t just something we say … it is something we do and live out. Jesus didn’t say “I love you” and just walk away. He sacrificed Himself for The Church. He put the Church first, ahead of His own wellbeing. He didn’t rely on His power over us, His greater strength. We don’t define love ourselves and just live up to our own definition and then feel good about ourselves. We must go to the Word of God and seek His definition, learn it, practice it, and watch it grow.
LOVE – GREATER TO GIVE – DO UNTO OTHERS – WE ARE ONE
When the solid ground is falling out from underneath my feet
Between the black skies, and my red eyes, I can barely see
When I realize I've been let down by my friends and my family
I can feel the rain reminding me
In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me
In the eye of the storm
Mmm, when my hopes and dreams are far from me
And I'm runnin' out of faith
I see the future I picture slowly fade away
And when the tears of pain and heartache
Are pouring down my face
I find my peace in Jesus' name
In the eye of the storm (yeah, yeah)
You remain in control (yes you do, Lord)
In the middle of the war
You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor
When my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me (Your love surrounds me)
In the eye of the storm (in the eye of the storm)
When they let me go, and I just don't know
How I'm gonna make ends meet,
I did my best but I'm scared to death
That we might lose everything
And when sickness takes my child away
And there's nothing I can do
My only hope is to trust You
I trust You, Lord
In the eye of the storm (yeah, yeah)
You remain in control
In the middle of the war (middle of the war)
You guard my soul (yeah!)
You alone are the anchor
When my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me (yeah!)
In the eye of the storm
You remain in control (yes you do, Lord)
In the middle of the war (in the middle of the war)
You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor
When my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me
In the eye of the storm
Oh, in the eye of the storm
ADDITIONAL/OPTIONAL PER VERSION
Lord, in the eye of the storm
I know You're watching me, yeah
Ay
When the storm is raging (when the storm is raging)
And my hope is gone (and my hope is gone, Lord)
When my flesh is failing
You're still holding on, oh whoa
When the storm is raging (the storm is raging)
And my hope is gone (and all my hope is gone)
When my flesh is failing (my flesh is failing)
You're still holding on, ooh
When the storm is raging (when the storm is raging)
And my hope is gone (and my hope is gone)
Even when my flesh is failing (flesh is failing)
You're still holding on, holding on
The Lord is my Shepherd
I have all that I need
He let's me rest in green meadows
He leads me beside peaceful streams
He renews my strength
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His Name
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid
For You are close beside me
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
4:25 Let thine eyes look right on and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
STORM #1: Self-Inflicted (like Samson), Judges 16
STORM #2: God created for our benefit (like Lake Galilee), (Mark 4:35-41)
STORM #3: Instigated by friend & foe (as when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison). You are innocent but you have to deal with it. (Acts 27:9-12)
Jesus said it is inevitable that wars will continue until He returns (Mark 13:7-8), and He did not oppose earthly governments or their right to maintain armies (Matthew 8:5-10) (Luke 3:14, Acts 10:1-6)
Romans 5:1-21
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Romans 6:6 Shall we sin more for more grace?
Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Isa. 33:23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.
Betrayed by FRIENDS & FAMILY: Genesis 37:12-36
Jesus Betrayed. Then one of the twelve, whose name was fJudas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
Psalm 103:12 …. as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Matthew 18:21-22 …. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "LORD, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Life’s STORMS & WARS:
Truth v. Lies
Self v. Others
Good v. Evil
Fight v. Surrender
Health v. Illness
Chaos v. Peacefulness
Friend v. Foe
Trust v. Doubt
Job?
Finances?
COMPROMISE?
Moral Failure v. Success
