Relationship Advice For MenSample

Love Is …

“Life is busy, and love struggles at high speeds. If it doesn’t have time to take root, it turns to lust. I’ve learned we need to periodically reset the speed of our clock, because the best love is slow.” Roger Thompson, We Stood Upon Stars

Have you read the “love chapter” in the Bible lately? It sounds a lot like Roger’s stories yesterday and today.

This chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, is written by the Apostle Paul who was sort of a coach to the early Christian churches. 1 Corinthians 13 is a section of one of the letters Paul wrote to the church in Corinth.

Because of its location and large population, ancient Corinth became known as a destination for sex. It even got its own Greek word—korinthiazomai translated as Corinthianize—which means to practice sex. It was the hook-up app of the ancient world.

Basically, Paul wrote this “love chapter” to a group of people who lived in a culture where quick sex was trying to replace true love. In other words, this love letter is exactly what the world needs now.

Listen, sex is great. It’s an incredible gift from God for marriage. God knew we’d start looking forward to sex when we were young, and He asked us to save it for marriage. It’s how families get started. It feels good. It keeps us close, encourages vulnerability, helps us to do dishes, communicate, plan dates, listen better, choose kindness, and so many other things. But, in an entire chapter about love written to a sex-crazed culture, it’s not even mentioned.

Here’s what I think Paul, the coach, wanted Corinth (and probably us) to know. Sex is not a destination. It’s definitely not the destination of love. It’s not the vehicle either. No, sex is just one of God’s many gifts we can share inside a loving marriage. If we live like it’s the destination, we’ll miss out on a much bigger adventure inside the heart of a woman. Even more, we’ll miss out on the true destination of love—God Himself.

Watch today’s video, and then consider the question below.

Consider: Which parts of the “love chapter” are you thriving at? Which do you want to make more progress in? What can you do about it right away?