"Love is Satisfied In God"
/The first message of this trilogy, “Love is impossible”, identified that we are incapable of supplying unconditional love on our own. We followed this by acknowledging our need for Jesus, both individually and at the center of our marriage. If you have accepted Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. It fills your heart with love, grace, and power which can be released into everything you do, including your marriage. But know that walking closely with God is not a part-time proposition; you need Him daily.
Many people believe money, power or accomplishments will make them happy. King Solomon had all this and more, but concluded it was all in vain (see Ecclesiastes Chapter 2). Yet when we feel unhappy, we often determine it is because we don’t have something that we want. So we foolishly chase happiness through earthly possessions and pleasures, end up missing God, and still remain unsatisfied. We fail to appreciate that God did not create earthly things to satisfy us more than Him. God desires an intimate relationship with us and to fill us with heavenly treasures such as love, joy and peace (Galatians 5:22–23).
In marriage, a common example of our misguided pursuit is when we repeatedly place expectations on our spouse. Sometimes they deliver; sometimes they don’t. The reality is that they will never be able to completely satisfy all our desires — partly because our demands may be unreasonable and partly because they are an imperfect human. This is not to discount your needs for love, intimacy, acceptance, peace, joy and adequacy. Rather, you need to stop expecting your spouse and others to be your constant source of fulfillment. It’s not fun for you or fair to them.
God, however, is dependable and unchanging. Our longing will only be satisfied when we seek the Creator Himself, not the objects of His creation. This comes through daily prayer, being in Scripture, and living obediently. God cares about your marriage. He wants it to succeed and is eager to help. Matthew 19:26 says, “with God all things are possible.” This does not mean He will give us everything we think we need, or that our marriage will be problem free (see Genesis 3:16). But He does promise to always be with us and will give what He knows is best for us. It’s time to stop listening to the world’s advice or trying to do it on our own. Turn instead to the only true source of help and comfort for our marriages — our Lord, Jesus Christ.
“The Marriage Triangle” diagram shows how a couple’s spiritual journey is connected to their marriage. This Email platform does not support attachments, so please click on this link: http://c3ec.org/s/Triangle.pdf
Notice that as both husband and wife draw closer to God individually, they get closer to each other. If you want to elevate your marriage, I encourage you to follow this fundamental concept. God bless and see you next week!