Ephesians 5: 25

 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." The apostle Paul teaches us we are to love our spouse this way,  even as Christ loved the church. Christ loved the church, all of us his brothers and sisters so much that he gave everything for it, even his life!

How do we treat our relationship with our husband or wife, and how are we preparing to treat and love our husband or wife right now? Are we loving and giving ourselves to them like the savior would, and are we preparing to love and care for them in that same way. The apostle Paul is telling us that we are to love, serve, and sacrifice for our spouse as the Savior did for the Church. If you want to feel overwhelmed just go and read anywhere in the scriptures how the Savior served, sacrificed, loved, and gave everything for us and the church. It will become very obvious that all of us are falling short of this commandment to love our husbands and wives this way. 

Even though none of us are perfectly loving and giving everything for our husbands and wives, I feel we fall exceptionally short on recognizing this commandment and living it. Is our husband or wife the most important person in our life? Do they come before work, or hobbies, or anything else. When we pray at night do we repent for failing to love them in the way we should and ask for strength to love them more, and be more kind and compassionate. Are we actively seeking to grow our relationship with our spouse and to serve and take care of them? I feel as though so many married couples get so comfortable with their spouse and stop loving, and growing together, and learning to love more deeply. They get caught up in other things and forget the most important person, and relationship they have on this earth, their spouse. 

The first two great commandments are to one, love God with all our heart, mind and strength and second to love thy neighbor as thyself. First comes your love for God and second to that is your spouse! As you grow in your love for God he will bless you with an increased love for your spouse that you can only receive as a blessing from him.

Forgive me if I sound like a repeating record when it comes to loving and serving your husband or wife. I write about it because I know how eternally important it is, and how much joy and happiness it can bring to your life. The love God has for his children is beyond our comprehension, his work and his glory is to bring about our eternal life and immortality. What is most important to him is us, what should be most important to us is our Heavenly parents and our family's, our spouse coming second only to God. I cannot describe the kind of love you can have for a spouse or how it draws you to God and together, because it is something that must be experienced. 

I hope all can experience that kind of pure love in joy! I know not all will get married in this life, but I testify God will fulfill all of his promises in this life or the next! I know that God wants us to be happy and have joy, and he wants us to return to live with him again. I know that Christ can make all things possible and heal all wounds, and lastly I know marriage is ordained of God, and is of eternal worth.