"What does it truly mean" to love our spouses like Christ (God) loves His Church?
What are the boundaries of that love? Who sets them? When does a partner in marriage, suffering thru the whims of a difficult partner and their wrong choices, make the painful decision to stop "loving?"
There are many in the Christian community who will spout out quickly, "I Corinthians 13," and "our love should be boundless, as His is." Trouble is, although it may seem cut-n-dry to many, every relationship is different and has dynamics that need to be considered.
When a Licensed Psychiatrist says, "If she were MY wife, and said that, I'd call the Authorities (a Christian Psychiatrist, by the way); When you see a continued pattern of maintaining an old relationship that at times is going from sexual conversations and discussions of being together with a former boyfriend, in spite of repeated requests to end it; When you hear "I'm 60% gone already" after you have poured your heart and soul into that relationship for years; or when a Licensed and reputable Minister says "she should be committed;" When inside, your heart is shattered, and you can't trust your spouse; how THEN do we apply what we can spout out so easily, the idea of loving our wives as God loves His Church?!
To talk about this in a down to earth fashion, to be "real" about it, is better for the person who is walking thru it, than quoting Chapter and Verse. To recite the law, as Jobs visitors did, didn't help much, now DID it?!
When the rubber meets the road, we all want security. We find it in (hopefully) our relationships, both intimate and platonic. We all want to put our investment in things that matter; that have value; that give us a reward for our investment.
We do that with our money (401K, Stocks, Bonds, our local Church; our family, God; not in that order of course).
We do that with our time, our conversation, our attention. But if the "return" on these investments doesn't pan out, what do we do? We pull back our support; we don't give of our time, or energy, our hearts. That's part of what it means to be human. God made us, so He must know our potential in both good and bad directions, right? (Rhetorical).
Every day, I have to set my mind on what God wants from me. Not because it is a law, but because it is an investment that reaps rewards that have Eternal consequences; and "Eternity" is a HECK of a lot longer than this life (the song lyrics that say "....when you've only got 100 years to live....." by what singer, I don't know)!
Every moment, in every conversation, in every action, I am constantly asking God to grant me His Wisdom, in what I say, what I do, and HOW I say and do these things. The phrase "love her as I have Loved YOU," keeps rolling thru my head. Have sympathy, be compassionate, assume no ill, don't look for the bad, see the good that can be found, don't keep a list of wrongs in mind, wait patiently for the one you are loving.
Along with placing myself into those thought processes and actions, I try to remember to place God in those actions and thought processes, remembering that He is exercising those same things in MY case. The level of Love and Patience, and Remembering no wrong, and Compassion that He exercises towards me every day, is beyond measure!
I am not God of course. (Does that surprise anyone? lol). My ability to truly show Gods Love is certainly limited at best. But to the extent that I am able, I show it. Why?
-Because I want to (God-given "want")
-Because He requires it (a child of His should imitate Him)
-Because it is righteous (God-established holiness)
-Because it bears fruit (in ourselves and in others)
-Because I want to be obedient (God-implanted desire)
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" it says.
Joshua was obedient to that call when he said, "as for me and my house, ____________________ (you fill in the rest, because you know it)."
Joshua was making a statement of his intent to ensure that not only HE, but his whole "house," (wife, children, etc) would follow Gods Leadership in their lives. Sounds a bit Chauvinistic to some, I suppose. Especially in THIS day of independent thought and resistance to authority. Nevertheless, we have ("I" have to face it, and determine how best to apply that in this world I currently live in).
When a family member goes wrong; when things start falling apart because of it; deciding what to do and how to do it, to encourage a better path for that person; to help them be restored to Christ; to build them up and give them hope, is not as easy as it looks.
"You can take a horse to water____________________(another one you can finish, of course)" is true. Not only horses behave that way. I have a cat that won't necessarily eat, just because I put food in front of him. It has something to do (yes) with the nature of the animal, as much as anything.
We humans are a stubborn lot. We set our minds on something and it owns us. Both for good and for bad. Lots of examples available, show that to be true, both in our faith walk as well as our disobedience. I can "do" many things to encourage, build up, strengthen a person, but it may come back without reward (at least for now, and from that person) even though it may give Eternal reward.
So what's the point? Is it selfishness that drives our actions of love, just because we want a merit badge in Heaven for it? Or is it something deeper? (rhetorical).
Is it about truly seeing the other person shine, re-boot, grow and flourish; or is it about making your own life easier because you "got them to do what you wanted." Heaven help us if we are doing anything out of selfish intent!!
"Long suffering" ........ah yes.........we are in it for the long haul. Well of course OUR "long haul" is but a drop of water in a bucket, compared to the Alpha and Omega, isn't it?! How "long" has He been "long suffering" for you? For me? His example is what it means to Love. In comparison to HIS Love, mine is a miserable and feeble attempt at best, filled with error, mistakes and selfishness.
"..........when He shall come with trumpet sound,
oh may I then, in Him be found;
dressed in HIS Righteousness alone,
faultless to stand, before the Throne.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground, is sinking sand."
-Soupy
What are the boundaries of that love? Who sets them? When does a partner in marriage, suffering thru the whims of a difficult partner and their wrong choices, make the painful decision to stop "loving?"
There are many in the Christian community who will spout out quickly, "I Corinthians 13," and "our love should be boundless, as His is." Trouble is, although it may seem cut-n-dry to many, every relationship is different and has dynamics that need to be considered.
When a Licensed Psychiatrist says, "If she were MY wife, and said that, I'd call the Authorities (a Christian Psychiatrist, by the way); When you see a continued pattern of maintaining an old relationship that at times is going from sexual conversations and discussions of being together with a former boyfriend, in spite of repeated requests to end it; When you hear "I'm 60% gone already" after you have poured your heart and soul into that relationship for years; or when a Licensed and reputable Minister says "she should be committed;" When inside, your heart is shattered, and you can't trust your spouse; how THEN do we apply what we can spout out so easily, the idea of loving our wives as God loves His Church?!
To talk about this in a down to earth fashion, to be "real" about it, is better for the person who is walking thru it, than quoting Chapter and Verse. To recite the law, as Jobs visitors did, didn't help much, now DID it?!
When the rubber meets the road, we all want security. We find it in (hopefully) our relationships, both intimate and platonic. We all want to put our investment in things that matter; that have value; that give us a reward for our investment.
We do that with our money (401K, Stocks, Bonds, our local Church; our family, God; not in that order of course).
We do that with our time, our conversation, our attention. But if the "return" on these investments doesn't pan out, what do we do? We pull back our support; we don't give of our time, or energy, our hearts. That's part of what it means to be human. God made us, so He must know our potential in both good and bad directions, right? (Rhetorical).
Every day, I have to set my mind on what God wants from me. Not because it is a law, but because it is an investment that reaps rewards that have Eternal consequences; and "Eternity" is a HECK of a lot longer than this life (the song lyrics that say "....when you've only got 100 years to live....." by what singer, I don't know)!
Every moment, in every conversation, in every action, I am constantly asking God to grant me His Wisdom, in what I say, what I do, and HOW I say and do these things. The phrase "love her as I have Loved YOU," keeps rolling thru my head. Have sympathy, be compassionate, assume no ill, don't look for the bad, see the good that can be found, don't keep a list of wrongs in mind, wait patiently for the one you are loving.
Along with placing myself into those thought processes and actions, I try to remember to place God in those actions and thought processes, remembering that He is exercising those same things in MY case. The level of Love and Patience, and Remembering no wrong, and Compassion that He exercises towards me every day, is beyond measure!
I am not God of course. (Does that surprise anyone? lol). My ability to truly show Gods Love is certainly limited at best. But to the extent that I am able, I show it. Why?
-Because I want to (God-given "want")
-Because He requires it (a child of His should imitate Him)
-Because it is righteous (God-established holiness)
-Because it bears fruit (in ourselves and in others)
-Because I want to be obedient (God-implanted desire)
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" it says.
Joshua was obedient to that call when he said, "as for me and my house, ____________________ (you fill in the rest, because you know it)."
Joshua was making a statement of his intent to ensure that not only HE, but his whole "house," (wife, children, etc) would follow Gods Leadership in their lives. Sounds a bit Chauvinistic to some, I suppose. Especially in THIS day of independent thought and resistance to authority. Nevertheless, we have ("I" have to face it, and determine how best to apply that in this world I currently live in).
When a family member goes wrong; when things start falling apart because of it; deciding what to do and how to do it, to encourage a better path for that person; to help them be restored to Christ; to build them up and give them hope, is not as easy as it looks.
"You can take a horse to water____________________(another one you can finish, of course)" is true. Not only horses behave that way. I have a cat that won't necessarily eat, just because I put food in front of him. It has something to do (yes) with the nature of the animal, as much as anything.
We humans are a stubborn lot. We set our minds on something and it owns us. Both for good and for bad. Lots of examples available, show that to be true, both in our faith walk as well as our disobedience. I can "do" many things to encourage, build up, strengthen a person, but it may come back without reward (at least for now, and from that person) even though it may give Eternal reward.
So what's the point? Is it selfishness that drives our actions of love, just because we want a merit badge in Heaven for it? Or is it something deeper? (rhetorical).
Is it about truly seeing the other person shine, re-boot, grow and flourish; or is it about making your own life easier because you "got them to do what you wanted." Heaven help us if we are doing anything out of selfish intent!!
"Long suffering" ........ah yes.........we are in it for the long haul. Well of course OUR "long haul" is but a drop of water in a bucket, compared to the Alpha and Omega, isn't it?! How "long" has He been "long suffering" for you? For me? His example is what it means to Love. In comparison to HIS Love, mine is a miserable and feeble attempt at best, filled with error, mistakes and selfishness.
"..........when He shall come with trumpet sound,
oh may I then, in Him be found;
dressed in HIS Righteousness alone,
faultless to stand, before the Throne.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground, is sinking sand."
-Soupy
