No where should that be more evident than in a marriage. A stable marriage relationship also produces deep friendship and fellowship. What does that friendship look like? (Meditating on the implications of these statements for the marriage relationship will be time well-spent.)
- There are no circumstances that can remove a friend's love for his friend (Prov. 17:17).
- A friend is always a defender and protector of his friend (Prov. 18:24).
- A friend stimulates his friend spiritually (Prov. 27:17).
- A friend will tell the truth to his friend rather than deceitfully flatter him (Prov. 27:6).
Now the temptation will often be, "where can I find someone to do that for me?" or, "how can I get my spouse to do that for me?" Yet the focus of a marriage relationship is not, "what is that person supposed to do for me," but "what is my joyful obligation to my marriage partner?" So when considering the fellowship of friendship within marriage, the joyful responsibility and privilege is to be the kind of friend to my wife that I myself would desire to have — regardless of whether she ever reciprocates or not.
1 comment:
Terry, those are great thoughts and it highlights an area in my life with which God has been dealing with me.
I was reminded, as I read your post, that it all comes down to one simple rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Thats golden. I pray that God will continue to pour his love into our hearts so that we would truly love each other without condition.
Blessings to you.
Be sure to visit my blog at www.anonymousdiscipleship.blogspot.com
Thanks.
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