Love Never Fails - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - July 24
Love Never Fails
By: Vivian Bricker
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
When facing a marriage crisis, we need to turn our hearts back to love. Think about what is going on in your marriage right now. Maybe your spouse has been growing distant from you, you are both having constant arguments with one another, or you are not feeling loved. All these things can cause you to start feeling insecure within the marriage. Leave space for these feelings, but don’t bottle them up.
If your spouse is growing distant from you, you need to have a conversation. It is important that you are not condescending or accusatory when you share your feelings. Tell them, “I feel you are drifting away from me. Has something happened? Is there anything I can do to help?” However, ensure your tone is compassionate, kind, and loving. If you don’t, it will come across in an angry or hurtful way.
You might be surprised at how fast your spouse will open up to you. Maybe your spouse feels their job is consuming their life or they feel you have been growing distant from them. You can never be sure unless you ask. If they are not willing to talk about it right now, help them know that they can come to you when they are ready to talk, that you truly care about their feelings, and that you love them.
Even if it might take some time before they tell you why they have been distant, continue to show them unconditional love. With time, they will open up to you and share their feelings. Once they do this, you will be able to make any necessary changes within the relationship. This might mean taking more time to invest in the relationship and spending quality time with each other rather than being consumed with work, friends, or other distractions.
If you and your spouse are having constant arguments, you need to take time to once again, sit down and talk civilly. Avoid raising your voice or yelling—this will only cause more problems. Arguments often are bred out of not feeling heard or understood. Therefore, it is important to sit down with your spouse, truly listen to them, and value what they have to say. This will help your spouse to do the same for you, and you will both be able to work toward reconciliation within your marriage.
The aspect of not feeling loved can also cause a crisis to occur within a marriage. Not feeling loved is the opposite of what we think marriage should be, yet many spouses feel unloved daily. If you feel unloved, you must bring this before your spouse. Help them to know your feelings and how you feel as though they don’t love you as much as they did in the past. Loving spouses will help you know that they love you, apologize for making you feel unloved, and correct any mistakes to ensure you feel loved within the marriage.
It is a red flag if your spouse gaslights you or turns the problem onto you. This is not a healthy relationship, and it needs to be monitored. Going to Christian couples therapy might be beneficial, but if your spouse belittles you or hurts you, you are not called to stay in this relationship. Marriage is supposed to be built upon love, not anger, hate, or mockery.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
As Paul tells us here, love always preserves, and it never fails. Where love is present, there can be a happy marriage. When facing a crisis within your marriage, reflect on this passage. It can help you know how to conduct your own actions and to show your spouse you love them. However, if your spouse is not illustrating 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 within the marriage, it might be time to look further into the issue.
Prayer:
“Dear Lord, please help me to always love my spouse. I know where love is present, a marriage can withstand anything. Please help my spouse and me work through any issues with your help and the love we have for each other. However, please help me be aware of when our marriage could be heading down a dark road. Amen.”
Related Resource: 3 Simple Ways to Feed Your Spouse More Praise
How often do you intentionally stop to praise your spouse? To recognize and affirm their character or actions? Many of us probably cringe at answering these questions because we know we could do better! If you struggle to feed your spouse praise regularly, this episode is for you. Listen in as we share some practical steps we all can take to criticize less and affirm and build up our spouse more. If this episode helps your marriage, be sure to subscribe to Team Us on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode.
