God Is LoveSample

“Love God . . . That’s all”

When I take couples through my premarriage counseling course, part of their homework is to invite an older couple out to dinner. The older couple has to be (1) married, (2) Christian, and (3) an inspiration to the young couple. After the homework is done, I get to ask what wisdom and insights they gained from their time together.

Recently, my latest spouses-to-be asked an elderly couple who had been together for over 50 years, loving each other faithfully and seeking Jesus together hand in hand. I couldn’t wait to hear the highlights of their conversation, imagining all the PhD-level insights from a happy couple in their 80s.

When we met, post-dinner, this young couple pulled out their notes from the evening. “What did you learn?” I asked.

“Well,” the groom answered, “the husband told us, ‘Love God.’”

I paused with my pen, waiting for the rest of the quote, but there wasn’t any. Love God . . . that’s all. The more I thought about it, however, the more I loved it. Love the God who loved you first. Soak in the love of God at the cross, and let it shape and form you. Love God . . . that’s all.

I bet another elderly Christian, the apostle John, would have loved that thought. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” (1 John 4:16).

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