Way Back Into Love

# LOVE IS A PRIORITY, NOT AN ACCESSORY

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 1 If I speak (our words) in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers (when you operate in what God has given you), and understand all mysteries and all knowledge (our thoughts, mind), and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (our faith). 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned (and all the things we do), but have not love, I gain nothing. (all are not enough without love)

If love is not enough, what made us think that relationship would work without love?

This is the supremacy of love in our life.  Love is so essential that you never want to take love out of the equation in everything.  Live a life with love as a priority.

The life of the original couple, Adam and Eve, was certainly not easy when they were thrown out of the garden of Eden.  Imagine what could have possibly ran in their mind while walking away from the garden.  Did they blame each other? Perhaps! But in the end, we can conclude that they remained committed to their vows and choose to love one another because they were eventually immensely blessed with long life and many children.

Love not only when it is convenient.    The key is to ensure the constant presence of love. 

The man who cycled from India to Europe for love

Indian artist PK Mahanandia met Charlotte Von Schedvin on a winter evening in Delhi in 1975 when she asked him to draw her portrait. 

The 2 fell in love.  Charlotte had to return to Sweden and made PK promise to follow her. 

After more than a year, PK sold everything he owned, bought a bicycle, and followed her. 

He cycled 70km every day and reached Europe after about 4 months.

Visualize a 400-meter track oval. Every single day cycle around for 175 times. In 4 months.  I wonder if PK brought loads of pain killers ?

They were officially married in Sweden and had 2 children.

If love is not their priority, their love story would have turned out differently.

Colossians 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Love is not about the feelings; it is the choice that we make. 

Don’t make it as an option, make it your constant choice.

# LOVE IS DONE, NOT (MERELY) SPOKEN

Genesis 29:20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

Jacob was tricked by his father-in-law (Laban), and worked for 14 years before he could be with his true love Rachel.

Imagine how long Jacob had to wait. How long is long to you? If you can't wait, you can't love. If in restaurant you are willing to wait, how much more in the matter of the heart.

Jacob can just walk away and find someone else.  Likewise, for Rachel. But they choose to stay on track despite of the very long waiting.  

Jacob and Rachel shown how a relationship can still work when the situation is not the most ideal or fair.  And that is to choose to remain in love.  

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 

If your marriage is on the rocks, find your way back into love. 

Remember the love that you shared. 

Do the things that you love doing together.

resolve conflicts, take action, help each other to fall in love again

Words define love, actions confirm it!

I am not saying that you don’t verbalize our love for each other.  I used to write love letters for my wife when we were young. But without putting love in action first, your words will not be enough. “in this case, action precedes love”

In a traditional wedding vow that goes “do you take this man to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage, to love him, comfort him, honour and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health... ”  The answer is “I do” because love is a choice to be acted upon.