Marriage from A to Z

“Actions Speak Louder Than Words!”

     “I Love You!”  Oh how I love to hear these words.  Don’t you?  Especially when these words come from my husband, family and close friends.  Although I love to hear these words, they mean very little if the actions don’t match.  This week I want to encourage you to do a love check.  Think about the people who you say that you love, do your actions match your words?  The goal should be to demonstrate love in all of our relationships but let’s just focus on the love within your marriage.  You may say that you love your husband or your wife but what are your actions saying?  What do people see when they see your marriage?  Would your spouse say that you do a good job of demonstrating your love?        

     I John 3:18 says let us not love in word or in tongue, but in our deed/actions and in truth.  If we say that we love and our actions are consistently saying something else, we lie.  We must practice loving on a daily basis.  Be sure you act like you love your husband/wife.  Evaluate how you; talk to your spouse, treat your spouse, serve your spouse, meet your spouse’s needs, do your actions say love?  Here is how the Bible tells us to love from the Message Bible.  (I Corinthians 13:4-8)  

• Love never gives up.
• Love cares more for others than for self.
• Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
• Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head,
• Doesn’t force itself on others,
• Isn’t always “me first,”
• Doesn’t fly off the handle,
• Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
• Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
• Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
• Puts up with anything,
• Trust God always,
• Always looks for the best,
• Never looks back,
• But keeps going to the end.
• Love never dies.  

       Now this is “Real Love!”  Imagine what the world would be like if we all practiced this kind of love. With God’s help we can make our actions speak louder than our words.  Without Him, we will fail every time!

Until Next Week  . . .

Carolyn

 p.s.  If you feel like your love is gone, go to the Creator of Love and get replenished!  God has an unlimited supply!