Chapter 10 ~ Love is unconditional
Why do I love my husband? Because I just do, I am committed to loving him; ‘til death do us part.
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us. –Romans 5:8
The love dare…
The only way love can last a lifetime is if it’s unconditional. The truth is this: love is not determined by the one being loved but rather by the one choosing to love.
God: He doesn’t love us because we are lovable but because He is so loving.
If a man says to his wife, “I have fallen out of love with you,” he is actually saying, “I never loved you unconditionally to begin with.” His love was based on his feelings or circumstances rather than commitment. That’s the result of building a marriage on phileo or eros love. There must be a stronger foundation. Agape unconditional love will not be swayed by time or circumstance.
That is not to say that love which began for the wrong reasons cannot be restored and redeemed. In fact, when you rebuild your marriage with agape as its foundation then the friendship and romantic aspects of your love become more endearing than ever before. When your enjoyment of each other as best friends and lovers is based on unwavering commitment, you will experience an intimacy that cannot be achieved any other way.
The reason I love you is I just do.
You will struggle and fail to attain this kind of marriage unless you allow God to begin growing His love within you. Love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7) does not come from within. It can only come from God. By choice it can become your kind of love. But first you must receive it and share it.
I choose to share God’s love with my mate, to share God’s love with everyone He puts in my path. It is possible for me to live a life of loving God’s way; the agape way.
The Love Dare Copyright © 2009
by Stephen Kendrick & Alex Kendrick
B & H Publishing Group Nashville, Tennessee
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