By Lisa Wilmore
Dear Hearts,
Grace be you and your families as we journey once again on thoughts and meditations relevant to marriage and families. It is our only wise God who designed and instituted the family from the beginning. Of course, we are a part of His redemptive family through the blood of Jesus Christ, our Everlasting, Eternal and Endless Savior. Thanks be to God for our Savior!
In Billy Joe Daughterty’s book, Building Stronger Marriages and Families (1991), He wrote about the essence of “Love in marriage and family”. What do you do when he or she is not loving? How do you handle it when love appears to be absent from the other partner or family member. What does it really mean to love? Well, Daughtery emphasized that the best way you can love an individual, you must understand and adhere to 1 Corinthians 13. This particular text, details what is known as unconditional love–love that doesn’t keep record of wrong, love that is patient, kind, does not envy, is not boastful, and does not rejoice in unrighteousness.
So, how is your love defined for your spouse or family member? If marriages and families are to thrive, the love described in 1 Corinthians 13 must be the foundation, permeating every aspect of relationships within the family and marriage. Only then can love truly endure and strengthen these bonds. Paul, the Corinthian writer, stressed, “Now abideth faith, hope, charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these three is charity (1 Cor. 13:13).
About 20 years ago, my brother was incarcerated for a crime he has maintained his innocence to this day. Despite his circumstances, my mother faithfully wrote him a letter every single day during the 16 years he spent incarcerated. She even hired a lawyer and spent nearly $30,000 in an effort to have him released. My siblings and I often tried to convince her not to incur such debt, but her love for my brother was beyond anything we could fully understand. I’m sure many of you can relate to the depth of a mother’s love-it truly is unmatched. Whether or not he was guilty did not matter to her; she loved him unconditionally.
Unconditional love is the very love that God demonstrated to us through His Son-and yes, we were guilty. Today, many married couples and families are confused about what true love really means. “Love involves unselfish service to others,” and this kind of love is a direct reflection of God’s nature. As 1 John 4:8 declares, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
When love is genuinely present in our marriages and families, it fosters forgiveness, patience, kindness, commitment, and so much more. As highlighted in the title of this message, “love is the glue that holds marriages and families together.” In equipping marriages and families to endure, love must be the foundation of our message-God is Love.
Jesus Save!
