What’s Love Got To Do With It?  

I Corinthians 13 gives us a good description of love. Both husbands and wives should read this chapter replacing love with their own names. Love is giving and communicating and holding to a standard of love and righteousness, regardless of how or when your love is received. 

Ephesians 2:4,6   Romans 5:17   Revelations 20:6 

Jesus Christ in His word gave Himself so that we the Church could rule and reign with Him. Scripture tells us that a glorious perfect church, or a family full of holiness, come to pass when we walk in obedience to God’s word as a living example. We are to make provision for our mate to be spiritually fed and surrounded with the Word of God. 

Love is not a feeling. Love is an action that produces feelings. 

Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified Version) tells us that when we roll our works over onto the Lord He will cause even our thoughts to become agreeable to His will.  

Ephesians 5:28,30 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself for no man yet ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it even as the Lord the Church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

 Men are to treat their wives as they themselves would like to be treated. If you would like not to be treated in a certain way, your wife will not like that either. Be sure to include and honor your wife or your husband in all situations. Some men feel they are in charge, and give their wives the dirty jobs and talk down to them to show their authority, and then demand their wives to love and respect them. This is not scriptural or loving. Respect can only be earned and not demanded. 

Galatians 6:7-9 Malachi 2:14-16

Submission requires a relationship. A good relationship is built on love and mutual respect. To receive respect we must be prepared to give respect. We always reap the same kind of crop that we sow. 

 Ephesians 5:31-33 

For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery I speak concerning Christ and the Church nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself and the wife sees that she reverences her husband. 

Husbands and wives are to join together and be one. This does not mean that they will do every thing exactly the same. For example, your hand is a part of your body, but it does not do the same job that your head or your foot does. But your head and your hand and your feet are all a necessary part of your body. They are all one. We are to leave our parents ideas of how a marriage should work, and work out our own relationship. 

The man or woman you marry will not be a copy of your mother or your father, and will have different needs. God wants us to respond to one another instead of traditions that worked for your parents or your friends. We should never allow anyone, even our parents, to criticize or tear down our mates. Wives are to reverence their husbands. Respecting and loving your husband will help him to grow. A wife that wishes to be honored, respected and cherished must be prepared to give honor, respect and love to her husband. 

A wife that truly honors her husband will never talk down about him to other men or to other women. She will be loyal to build him up and not tear him down. A wife who respects her husband will not allow the children to criticize him either. A husband and wife who respect one another will find it easy to be polite to one another, and they will truly be able to be one another’s best friend. 

Ask yourself what kind of a friend am I to my partner, then take a pen or pencil and write down ten good things about your husband or wife. Thank God for these qualities in your mate two times a day for 30 days. See if you can add to the list of qualities that you have written down.  

Now think of three attitudes you would like to change in your partner. Write them down. Now for the next 30 days work at changing these attitudes in yourself without saying a word to your partner about what you are doing. 

The Bible tells us to overcome evil with good. Here are some scripture references that will help you: 

Romans 12:21

Luke 6:36

Romans 2:1

James 4:11

Matthew 7:1, 5

  Home   Index    E Mail