Tawooo love. (Sorry I am a die-hard “Princess Bride” fan!)
The end word in the acronym for getting R-E-A-L.
Appropriately, Respect, Encouragement, and Affection are completed with Love.
Without love for our husbands, anything else we give our husbands is empty and meaningless.
Remember the “love” chapter of 1 Corinthians, where Paul teaches that love is the most excellent gift?
Verses 1-3 tell us that gifts without love are empty and useless.
Love.
Seems like an easy thing to give, right?
I mean, I love my husband.
I am excellent at telling him how much I love him.
I promised to love, honor and cherish him almost 21 years ago.
But in reading 1 Corinthians 13 I am convicted.
Love is patient and kind.
It isn’t shown by my words but rather it is shown in my doing.
Love does not demand its own way.
Ugh, love is tough — even in marriage.
Whether you have been married a short time or for many years, the gift of love needs to be practiced.
Circumstances come and go, our lives have valleys and peaks, but through it all we must stay REAL.
Remember love is not a warm fuzzy, a brilliant spark or dependent on our feelings.
No, love is a gift from the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are called to practice godly love to our husband.
Even if we are the only ones modeling this behavior.
Allow the power of love to transform your marriage.
It can you know. I am a testimony of it.
Many of your stories a
re stories of the great power of God’s transforming love in your lives and marriages.
Cling to that.
Practice love…
extravagantly…
diligently…
selflessly.
Draw close to the One who is LOVE—our Mighty God—and watch the temperature rise at your house these hot summer days!
Stay R-E-A-L!
Kim
P.S. Have you taken my summer reading challenge to spend 5-15 minutes a day reading a good Christian book on marriage? It will be a practice that can help you stay focused on being the godly wife God has called you to be! Share what you have learned on our FB page!
