Built for Love: Bears All Things

Описание: I Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed updoes not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evildoes not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truthbears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Ephesians 5:25 NKJV
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NKJV
Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

The word "bears" in 1 Corinthians 13:7 is the Greek word stegei (STEH-gay), from the root stegō which literally means to cover, to roof over, to provide shelter. It is a construction term. Paul embedded building language into the definition of love. Love doesn't just endure the storm, it builds a house in the middle of it. This is not a poem. This is a construction manual.

1. Love is not a feeling you find, it's a life you build.

Agape (ah-GAH-pay) is not a noun that happens to you. It's a verb you decide. The same word used for God's love for humanity and Christ's love for the church is the word used for how husbands are called to love their wives.

You act your way into feeling; you don't feel your way into acting.

2. Marriage doesn't complete you, it reveals you.

Ezer kenegdo (EH-zer keh-neg-DOH) means "a strength corresponding to." Eve was not subordinate to Adam, she was his counterpart. Marriage is the most accurate mirror you will ever look into.

You cannot heal what you cannot see. You cannot repent of what you refuse to acknowledge.

Stop asking God to change them. Start asking God to show you what He's excavating out of you.

3. Your spouse is not your enemy, they are your assignment.

Paradidōmi (par-ah-DID-oh-mee) means "to hand over." Christ was not taken from the church. He handed Himself over for the church. Willingly. Completely.

"You are my assignment, not my adversary."

Your spouse doesn't need you to fix them. They need you to fight for them.

4. Covenant love chooses daily what emotions cannot sustain.

Berith (beh-REET) is the Hebrew word for covenant, the same word used for God's binding agreements with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Your marriage is a berith. Not a contract to be renegotiated. A covenant to be honored.

Feelings are like weather, they change. Covenant is like climate, it remains.

Choose your spouse daily. Not once at the altar. Daily.

5. Communication is the oxygen of intimacy, protect it.

Leb (LEHV) is the Hebrew word for heart, the seat of the mind, will, and emotions together. Communication at the leb level is where intimacy lives.

Three Levels of Communication:
Level 1: Informational (logistics)
Level 2: Intellectual (ideas)
Level 3: Emotional (intimacy)

Challenge: Have one Level 3 conversation with your spouse this week.

6. Fighting FOR each other is different than fighting WITH each other.

Palē (PAH-lay) means "to wrestle." But Paul says we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. When you turn your fight against your spouse, you've misidentified the enemy.

Ask yourself in every conflict: "Am I trying to win, or am I trying to heal?"

You can win the argument and lose the marriage. You can be right and be alone.

7. The healthiest thing you bring to your marriage is a healthy you.

Seautou (seh-ow-TOO) means "yourself." Paul says husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. Self-care is not selfishness, it is stewardship.

Your marriage is only as healthy as the people in it. Taking care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically is one of the most loving things you can do for your marriage.
Prophetic Charge

"Marriages in this house will be marked by Heaven. The enemy's assault on the family ends here."
This Week's Activation

1. Speak one specific honor statement to your spouse daily this week
2. Identify one area where you've been fighting WITH instead of FOR—and repent
3. Have one Level 3 conversation this week
4 .Pray together before bed for 7 consecutive nights
Bottom Line

Love is not a feeling you find, it's a life you build.