Many people often remind husbands to love their wives, touting it as a vital prescription for marriage.
But if we examine that instruction carefully, Apostle Paul was addressing the husbands in Ephesus, as it may have been apparent that some of them may be loveless toward their wives. Similarly, when he asked the women in Ephesus to submit to their husbands, it was apparent that some of those women struggle in that aspect.
But the truth of the matter is that we should love one another – husband and wife, parents and children, and all believers in general.
If the men in Ephesus had been full of love, the Apostle would not need to remind them to love their wives. And if some of the women in Ephesus were not rebellious, they needed not to be reminded to submit to their husbands.
Apostle Peter told all Christians to do two things: ‘Be disciplined in prayer and have DEEP LOVE for each other’. He said ‘DEEP LOVE’, not just any kind of love for each other. So love each other or another is for all of us.
In his words: “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” – 1 Peter 4:7-8.
Did you see that he said, “Most importantly, continue to show DEEP LOVE for each other…”. He implied that ‘DEEP LOVE’ is more important than prayer and that ‘DEEP LOVE’ is the most important virtue we should have as believers.
I submit to you then that prayerfulness without love is a questionable exercise. Love flowing through us confirms that we are prayerful and/or Godly.
Going back to Apostle Paul, when he was addressing all believers in Corinth (not just husband and wives), he said “Love is the Greatest and that “Love is the Most Excellent Way ‘of Life”. He placed love above all spiritual gifts…
Love Is the Greatest:
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned like a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13
We can see from all these that Love is greater than prayer, faith, and hope.
If we make walking more in love our goal, we can never regret it.
Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Fruits are often cultivated so they may grow.
It is important to mention here that the love we are talking about is not physical, sensual, emotional, or sentimental. It is 100 percent spiritual. Some gifts and virtues are much better than physical and sensual love, but no gift, fruit, or virtue is greater than “The Love of God”.
To walk in the love of God (agape love), the Holy Spirit is very important and we must fight off things that hinder us to love.
For those struggling to walk in love, these prayers may be helpful:
1:I receive the Spirit of Love from the Holy Spirit afresh in the name of Jesus
2:The Spirit of the Love of God envelope me in the name of Jesus
3:Fleshly activities weakening the love of God in me die in the name of Jesus.
4: Sinful activities fighting the love of God within me die in the name of Jesus
5: Lustful passions fighting thing love of God within die in the name of Jesus
6: Selfish ambitions fighting the love of God within me die in the name of Jesus
7: Pursuits of vanities fighting the love of God within me die in the name of Jesus
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