loving your spouse

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and I shared a message at church yesterday about how we can help our marriages and relationships stronger and lasting. I believe that God gives us so much encouragement to be people who love others and are committed to the people we love.

In this message from Ephesians 5 we talked about the essentials of living a life of submission to each other, a life of sacrifice and that we are to choose each other. I will get to a couple of those later this week in the e-devotions.

Today I accept the challenge to love as Jesus loves. The reason why we love and the way we are to love was defined by God!

1 John 4:19 NLT

We love each other because he loved us first.

It is easier to love when we know that we are loved. We were created in His image and living out the character and example God gave us we literally become an image bearer of God because we do what He does.

A person who loves well will think and do for his or her spouse. Serving is important just as we are told in Ephesians 5, well husbands are encouraged, to go all out in loving our wives.

It is a sincere love, from the heart, that seeks to see her as best and do what brings out the best in others. That is what godly love finds as the results of choosing to love as God loves

John 13:35 NLT

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

Real love reminds the person that loved of their value and worth. As God brings out the best in us through His love we can and should do the same. This loved is marked by giving and not taking, encouraging and not punishing, pulling close and not pushing away

1 Peter 3:7 NLT

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

Choose to give honor to your wife or your spouse. By honoring others and getting to know how to love them best our prayers will not be hindered. That is a promise from God we can claim.

May we be found loving well, bringing out the best in others and showing all who know us that God is so good and full of love!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Search This Blog