“…it is not self-seeking.” 1 Corinthians 13:5
Self-Seeking is defined as “having concern for one’s own welfare and interests before those of others; self-serving.”
Our love is to model Christ, and what characteristic to adopt more than being selfless. God’s love for us is infinite, and was displayed to us by death on a cross. He stepped down from heaven and walked the earth with us, as it was in the beginning with Adam.
God created a man that He could display love too, and aide in experiencing creation and the creator. In this, He did not hold back, giving man the freedom of choice, and a mind that could process, create, communicate, serve and most of all love. He gave this, knowing that man could and would be selfish with the allotment of power and freedom. In any love relationship, vulnerability is created because there is the potential for pain and disappointment.
This is why this instruction to be selfless is a large pill to swallow. When one enters a covenant and chooses not to have concern for their “…own welfare and interest…”, one makes themselves even more vulnerable. This, because our instructions are to always place the needs of those we love in front of our own.
So what is your place in the relationship? Sadly, because most of us would say first, we find the national divorce rate at 50%. This is not new! In the beginning, the adversary pressed Adam and Eve to make a choice: God First? You First? They chose to put themselves first, forever changing they relationship dynamic.
This continues today. Couples continue making decisions as though they were individuals; choosing to please themselves, rather than to consider their partner. Like God, we must face the partaking of the forbidden fruit from one another. Even in this pain, God demonstrates to us the power of love by entering into a quest to build up our relationship with Him. He makes the sacrifice to restore the relationship, giving opportunities for repentance and pouring grace and mercy where their should be judgement and punishment. And because He made this type of sacrifice, so should we.
To keep our marriages healthy and whole, we must model God. If we approach our relationships in an abusive manner (abusive; using the other person), then our marriages will suffer the strain of selfish behavior. Our minds must place our individual will aside, and consider the will of God and the desire of our spouse. Though this could lend one to abuse, if both individuals would seek to serve one another, we could experience balanced unions that reflect the divines love in and for us.
#PastorJDO3 #DrQDO #TQAYMYM
Manifestations of a Tree 