“For God so Loved…”

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” “Love is patient, love is kind…” (Eph. 5:23a, 1 Cor. 13:4a)

Apart from the grace and power of God, it is impossible to love “just as Christ loved the church”. Hardly a minute goes by that I don’t get caught neglecting “love is patient.” And I am not the only one with this problem.  :~)  Learning to show genuine, unconditional love towards another person is the great challenge of a lifetime. It requires an extreme approach.  It requires the Supernatural.

God sets the standard. His law reveals our weakness, sin, which renders us unable to love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Human effort cannot accomplish this perfection. It takes a miracle.

The first step: God creates miracles of life and of love.  (God is love. 1 John 4:16) We can learn from Him, but even better, we can become like Jesus. The full expression of God’s love is Jesus. Trusting Him as Savior and Lord brings us into a love relationship that forgives, heals, redeems, satisfies, and renews. You will be filled “with love and compassion.” (Psalm 103) Only by receiving His perfect love can we express perfect love to another. We must have a personal relationship with Jesus. “You must be born again.” (John 3:3)

What’s next? After years of “me”, how can relationships with my wife, children, and others improve?

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Romans 12:2 tell us “be transformed.” Literally, “metamorphose.” Caterpillar to butterfly or tadpole to frog: it takes time for baby frogs to grow into adults. A new creation needs to grow “and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

God’s Word: It cleanses and makes us holy. (Ephesians 5:26). Read, study, and meditate on God’s Word daily. We eat several meals every day for physical growth; we must also feed on God’s Word every day. “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things…” (1 Timothy 4:8a) Practice the spiritual discipline of reading the Word of God. (If you’re online, you can look up verse & chapter at places like www.biblegateway.com)

Prayer! An essential of life and love.

+ Begin your day, “Lord, help me to pray.”
+ Throughout the day, pray first; ask questions later.
+ You can call on God in a storm but be sure to trust Him completely.
+ Never neglect to pray for your wife! She is part of you! (Eph. 5:29)
+ Drift off to sleep at night trusting God to complete your prayers.
+ Remember the password: “prayer.”

Faith: Hold fast! “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12-16)

By His Grace, Agape,