1st John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
On this V's Day, when we express our love toward that special person in our lives, we can explore the depths of God's love for us - Jesus gave His life so that we could come to know and love Him, and as we humble ourselves before Him and before one another, we can gain a glimpse into what it really means to love.
In Ephesians 5, husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and God's pronouncement on the institution of marriage from Genesis 2 are restated:
31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. When someone makes a vow to God or to another person, as in our marriage vows, this a strong promise, a declaration that you intend to keep. In a culture where marriage has become increasingly expendable, this is a countercultural notion, but marriage represents the best God has to offer and the best that we can offer to one another.
From Deuteronomy 12:
10 But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, 11 then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord. The concept of a vow is found throughout the Old Testament and I find that there is an element of sacrifice that is associated. Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life, and when we enter into a marriage relationship, or even a relationship that could lead to marriage, we place the needs of the other person above our own, and seek to serve and please that other person! And, no matter what the circumstances, we recognize that marriage is intended to be a lasting relationship, to the glory of God. Kim and Krickett Carpenter had been married for 10 weeks when they experienced a violent car accident, and Krickett lost a portion of her memory, including her relationship with Kim...but because he had taken a vow to stay with her, and because she realized she had taken a vow, as well, he proceeded to woo her, they dated, rediscovered each other, fell in love again, and had another marriage ceremony. Their story is the basis for this past weekend's box office champion, "The Vow", which shares the name with a book containing their story. The plot admittedly had some Hollywood liberties, but the story and the presence of faith found in the book can be inspiring to us today.
This past weekend, almost 500 people attended FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember in Montgomery. 130 people recommitted their lives to Christ and over 100 experienced a fresh touch of the Holy Spirit. Almost 3 dozen accepted Christ as Savior, so that they could experience His love and prepare to love their mate as he loved the church.
Here are some of the comments:This weekend opened our eyes and reiterated the need for us to be God-centered and value each other as the “ultimate gift from the ultimate gift giver”!! How dare I not appreciate or pick apart and complain about such a gift! This was my “Ah ha!” moment!
Reminded us to keep our priorities focused on God first, each other, then children.
Helped us relax and refocus. This was a “Lord help us have an excellent marriage” experience. Our first one was just a “Lord help us” experience. Both hit the mark.
Profound. I never thought of my husband as my perfect gift from God. It rocked my world in regard to how I look at him
We were very distant for months. We had decided almost to be “roommates” because we had committed that divorce is not an option. We leave reconnected with a sense of oneness for God’s plan for our lives and a legacy for our children.
I was reminded “oneness” is the goal and we have accomplished it.
Marriage is God's best, and our spouse is God's gift to us. I rejoice in my marriage, to Beth, 21-1/2 years and growing stronger - in fact, 22 years ago on Valentine's Day, our friends thought we'd get engaged, but I decided to wait 3 days to ask her. I'm so thankful she said "yes!"
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