LOVE NEVER FAILS
If I could write a book in which I could give a guaranteed method for a happy, prosperous, successful marriage, then I am sure that it would be a ‘best seller’.
However, one of the problems in marriage is people! Of course, we cannot have a marriage without people, and this is where the problem starts. Have you noticed how difficult people can be? Of course, I mean other people! Isn’t the problem always with ‘other people’!
When a marriage takes place, two people, two different people, come together to live as one. Is this possible? Remembering that it is other people that are the problem! Is there a sure method to bring success into marriage in spite of people?
I would suggest to you that the book that gives the guarantee to success in marriage has already been written, and there are certain parts of that book that give very positive direction concerning the way to succeed in marriage. That book is the Bible.
One of the many relevant chapters that is so helpful in bringing meaning and purpose into marriage is that beautiful chapter on love, which we have had read, the thirteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Christians at Corinth.
In this chapter, certain rules are laid down for us all to follow. The difficulty that presents itself is that we can so easily see how everyone else should obey these ‘rules for living’, but we tend to excuse ourselves. If these rules are closely followed, the end result will be success in marriage, in fact it will be success in all our lives whether we are married or not! Let us look at a few of the guide lines given in this wonderful chapter.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
LOVE IS PATIENT.
Here is a hard requirement. Never lose patience with one another, and if you do, always say ‘sorry’, and put things right straight away, don’t wait for your partner to make the first move.
LOVE IS KIND.
Let your attitude towards each other be one where you are always seeking for opportunities to do acts of kindness. Not making demands. Love says ‘what can I give’ - not ‘what can I get’.
LOVE DOES NOT ENVY.
Never let envy or jealousy intrude into your marriage, instead, always rejoice in the achievements of your partner. We are not meant to be identical, and will have differences which are meant to compliment each other on our new way of life. Never compete, always compliment.
LOVE IS NOT PROUD, AND DOES NOT BOAST.
We can be pleased with our achievements, or with the achievements of our partner without being proud. Pride is something that has ruined many marriages, remember the Scriptures say that ’pride goes before a fall’. There can be a superior attitude shown when we are proud, and if you are going to be ’one’, then neither of you can be superior to the other. Even though man is the head of the home, he is not superior. That does not mean that you will not be different.
LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING.
The kind of love that the Bible teaches we should have, is not seeking our own good, but always seeking the good, and the benefit of our partner.
LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED.
Always watch your temper, and don’t say you haven’t got one, for everyone can have a surprise when there is that sudden flare-up. When a person loses their temper they can say words that they do not always mean. Words that should be apologised for later, and we are back to that ‘hard-to-say-word’, SORRY! If it should be said, then say it - I mean say the word ‘sorry’.
LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS.
Love will act as a shield to protect, and seeks for the welfare of our partner at all times.
LOVE TRUSTS.
I am sure that one of the essential ingredients in marriage is trust. A trust in one another is absolutely vital. Of course, trust is something that must never be broken. We must always be worthy of trust.
LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES.
Success in every area of life requires perseverance, and it certainly is needed in marriage, because success in marriage does not ‘just happen’. It has to be worked at! Remember that you are two different people who are now going to live as one.
G..... and M………, trust each other. Always trust each other. Work hard at your marriage. In all that lies before you, bring the Lord Jesus Christ into your lives, into your discussions and into your decisions. True success lies with the Lord Jesus Christ being central in your home. Bring Him into every part of your lives together. He has the answer to every problem situation. He can guide you through every difficult experience.
Put the Lord Jesus first in all things, even before each other; this will be hard, but if you do, you can allow His love to flow through you to each other, and to other people. If this is done, your marriage will succeed. The Lord has set a very high standard for marriage, that is why He uses marriage as a picture to describe His relationship to the Church. Seek to love each other as really as Christ loves the Church. His love in you; His love flowing through you makes this possible.
G..... and M………, we pray that you will know the blessing of the Lord in your life together. We ask the Lord to enrich you with a constant experience of His presence in your home, and that you will convey this same blessing to others. Know this joy - true joy - the joy of the Lord. This is how you will have a happy, prosperous and successful marriage.
God richly bless you both.
