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Kindle Notes & Highlights
One of the most important preparations for a Christ-centered marriage is to remember that your affections belong first to Christ. You must love him with all that you have and are.
The concern is whether you will transfer this same concern to others.
Each of you was designed by God to love him first. When you function according to your purpose, you function at maximum capacity.
But when you love the Lord first, you function as you are designed to, and the results are amazing. You will not only experience a joyous relationship with the God of heaven and earth, but you will also be in a perfect position to enjoy all that God has designed marriage to be.
Behind the struggles with poor communication, problem solving, or understanding the roles of husband and wife, there were struggles because of poor worship. Remember that we were designed to worship God and love him most. If he is not the focus of our worship, then something else will be.
Whenever we serve, we must do so from a heart of love. Any service without it is like a noisy gong; it is nothing, and has no eternal value.
But think about it: If your definition of love is little more than the warm fuzzies, physical attraction, and the ability to have fun together, your relationship may demonstrate not how much you love the other person, but how much you each love yourself! What you have found is a person who helps you love you better than anyone else has!
Proverbs 19:11 captures this idea wonderfully: “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”
Love that is not jealous will celebrate the successes of the other person. It will compliment and support the gifts, skills, and abilities of the other person. Love that is not jealous will find ways to encourage the development of the other.
