Marriage

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Love is still misunderstood by many Christians. Many love based on how much love they receive in return. Mt 5:46 (KJV) says “for if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?” The greatest commandment is for us to love God with all our hearts, soul, strength and mind and then to love our neighbour as ourselves. A misunderstanding of love has caused a lot of breakups and pain in many marriages and relationships.

For us to know how to love we should take our example from how Jesus Christ loved us. “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” John 13:34 (KJV). The love Christ has for us isn’t based on how much we love Him. It is an unconditional love. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Rom. 5:8 (KJV).

If we want to emulate the love of Christ for us in our relationships, we should keep our love for others constant even if they do not love us back. This sounds quite difficult, but with God, nothing is impossible. For married couples or those dating this is especially applicable. For a marriage or relationship to be maintained, the spouses should endeavour to keep the love flowing even if the other spouse denounce their love for them verbally, physically or in any way. This is not to say that you should force someone to love you back. The Bible admonishes husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Just love for the sake of loving with no expectations.

We should be willing to forgive others their offences even before they ask for forgiveness. For those too proud to ask for forgiveness, we should initiate reconciliatory moves. Loving the way Christ loved brings peace and joy in our lives, whereas hate leads to anger, pain and destruction. A typical example is the hate of the devil for mankind.

The pursuance of love by Christians will bring peace and cause God’s blessings to overflow over their lives. 1Cor. 13:8 states that love never fails.
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