Love Always: A 5-Day Marriage DevotionalSample

Day 1: Knowing God’s Love

Fairy tale classics often reveal our deepest longings. For example, most young girls love the story of Cinderella or reading books and watching movies that retell the famous tale of poverty to the palace with various settings, characters, and conflicts. However, the theme remains firm in each retelling. Ladies typically want to be adored and loved, while most men enjoy rescuing a woman who respects how amazing he is.

In real life, however, the fairy tale ending doesn’t always happen. In fact, some ladies might say, “What happened to my Prince Charming? He was much sweeter at the beginning of our relationship.” While some men might say, “I thought my Cinderella would be easier to love.” When fairy tales are the basis for love and marriage, the inevitable disillusionment in our relationships can be devastating.

But what if we have been looking at marriage wrong all these years? What if the right girl or the right guy was never supposed to meet this deep need for perfect romance? What if a deeper romance really does exist? The real thing—perfect and without disappointment?

The truth is perfect romance does exist and is available to you. You are being lovingly pursued every day of your life. Our heavenly Father pursues you constantly. His Son, Jesus, rescued you a long time ago at Calvary, and He still rescues you daily. The loving Holy Spirit comforts you and protects you.

When we learn about God’s perfect love for us, we rescue our marriages from deadly expectations. We must realize that our spouse was never supposed to be our everything. Only God, the lover of our souls, can be our everything.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19)

Our deepest desire and God’s deepest desire for us is to “know the love of Christ” and be “filled with all the fullness of God.” Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross gives us permission to ask for this perfect filling of His love. Knowing His love, really believing that He loves us, is what satisfies our longings.

While our marriages may be earthly pictures of love, they only display a fraction of God’s love for us. You will never experience complete wholeness simply because you’re married—only God’s love can complete you. Only His love can satisfy the longings of your heart. And once you allow His true love to fill your heart, then you can begin to truly love your spouse as God intended.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for loving me. Keep me from having unrealistic expectations of my spouse. I ask You to fill my heart with Your great love for me. Let this heavenly love overflow from my heart and spill over into my marriage, my family, and my friends. In Jesus’ name, Amen.