Marriage is a beautiful gift from God, and we are called to love and respect our spouse.
But many people place unrealistic expectations on their spouse, expecting them to “complete them” and make them whole.
But as Christians, we know there is only one person who can truly fill the void in our hearts – and it’s not our spouse.
While our spouse can and should be the closest relationship we have on this earth, we must remember they come second to our own personal relationship with God.
To truly love our spouses well, we must love God more.
After all, we only love because God first loved us.
Genuine love isn’t a fleeting feeling that comes and goes – it is a conscious decision.
God designed marriage to be the most intimate relationship between two human beings – a reflection of His love for the church.
And the truth is, we can’t love our spouse the way God intended without first spending time with Him and becoming filled with His Spirit.
If we try and succeed at marriage in our own strength, it can lead to bitterness or resentment.
And if we aren’t careful, we can turn our genuine love into idolizing our spouse – even elevating them above God.
While spouses are a beautiful gift from God, we must remember they are a gift, and every perfect gift is from above.
Many people fall into the trap in looking to their spouse to “complete them,” expecting another human to fill a void only God was designed to fill.
Since another human cannot love or complete us as only God can, this unmet expectation can often lead to conflict, or tragically, even divorce.
On Valentine’s Day, it can be easy to get caught up in the Hallmark celebration of “love” with chocolate candy and red roses.
But as Christians, we know God tells us the true definition of what love really is.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
And to love like this, we need to first be filled with the love of God and worship Him as our Creator.
After all, God loved us so much, He sent His one and only Son to suffer and die on a cross to pay the ultimate price for all of our sins, so that those who trust in Him shall never perish, but have eternal life.
And remember, before your spouse chose you – God chose you first!
So let us love our spouses well, but let God always remain our highest priority as our first love.
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