Marriage Tip Tuesday

     Today I wanted to talk about practicing agape in your marriage. Agape is a word that comes from the the Greek language which means unconditional love. When I was in Bible college, I took a class that was called family and home management, and I still refer to the notes I took five years later. The class was life changing and I learned so many valuable lessons. As I was looking through my notes I came across this statement, "Agape is doing the loving thing whether I feel like it or not." This is exactly what Christ did for us on the cross. He did not feel like dying for us. He even asked God if there was any other way to save us, that the cup of death would be passed from Him. Thankfully, Jesus was not looking out for his own selfishness and went to the cross for us that day. He was showing us unconditional and unending love. This is the kind of love that we need to be showing to our spouses daily. This means doing the big and little things that your spouse asks of you, even if it is the last thing in the world you want to be doing. It is also important to note that agape does not command reciprocation. It is a commitment that is not dependent on the other persons response. If we are going to truly practice an agape kind of love in our marriages, we have to die to ourselves and throw our own selfish ambitions to the side. If there were a word that means essentially the opposite of love, it would be selfishness. Agape is the incentive that keeps the marriage covenant warm and vibrant. Recurring romance is then the reward. In order to show love to Jeff today, I am choosing to dedicate this song to him. When we first started dating we listened to this song all the time. Jeff, you are more than I could have ever imagined and I am even more in love with you than before. Thank you for being my best friend in the whole world!