Love Hurts

"O, Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O, Judah, how shall I deal with you? This love of yours is like morning mist, like morning dew that quickly disappears. This is why I smote you through the prophets, and have slain you by the words of my mouth. For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice; it is knowledge of God, not burnt offerings." - Hosea 6:4-6

I have a couple of friends that are going through trouble in their relationships. Why is it that when we really love someone, sometimes they just don't correspond to our feelings? There is this one person who fell in love with someone who really seemed to care, but whenever he really needed her, she was gone and not there for him. To retaliate because he was hurt, he would say mean things to her, but only because he wanted her to feel the pain he was feeling. Sometimes she'd come back around when she was lonely, or needed something. He knew this, but he loved her so much, he'd take her back, although he knew her love wasn't sincere.

I've mentioned before that God not only loves us as a Father, but also in the way in which a husband loves his wife. This story I just mentioned is God's love for us as told through the prophet Hosea. God saw His people as His spouse and became so angry when He'd see His people not pay attention to Him and putting things such as wine, money, and sex before Him. He considered them all cheaters. Although He called them all adulterers, He was so hurt that He'd curse them but He wanted them all back. That's why in this passage, the Lord sighs in pain as we do when our relationship isn't going right. "O, Ephraim, what shall I do with you?" Think of the despair you go through when that person you love doesn't call you or answer your calls. They say they love you, but they don't show it. As God says, their love is "like morning dew that quickly disappears." And deep down, even when the one you love does answer you, you want them to be sincere and really love you back, not just because they need something as we do with God.

I picked this passage because sometimes we don't realize how strong God's love for us is and how easily we brush Him aside to focus on other things. The bible is full of verses comparing His love to the love of boyfriend/ girlfriend, husband/ wife. He knows fully well the anguish and despair we feel when we're hurt by love, and by using this comparison through the prophet Hosea, He shows us that His pain is that real.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I'm sorry for not loving You or giving You the time You deserve. I could never repay You for Your love but I seek to please You from now on. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Couples - What It Means to Love

"And as the Church submits to Christ, so let a wife submit in everything to her husband. As for you, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her." - Ephesians 5:24-25

We all know God is our Father, but also throughout history there have been many comparisons to God's relationship with us to that of a husband and wife. The relationship between a couple is one of a sublime, deeper love, one characterized by a yearning to be with that other person. The Old Testament book Song of Songs reads as a poem between lovers but it is actually about the soul's longing to be connected to God. And now in the New Testament, we have a comparison between Christ's love for us and marriage between a man and a woman.

The main theme in this bible verse from Paul's letter to the Ephesians is to love your partner in the same way Jesus has loved us. And how has Jesus proven His love for us? Besides obviously dying on the cross and sacrificing Himself for our well-being, He lived a life of service, washing His disciples' feet instead of the other way around. He listened to the crowds and fed them. He healed them when they were sick and He spent time with them. But if you think about the main reason Jesus did all of this, you realize what our main role should be as husbands and wives/ boyfriends and girlfriends - to bring our partner to God. Every single thing Jesus did in His ministry was to give those He loved eternal life and joy in God. If you really love the person you're with, the ultimate way of proving your love and intentions for that person is to make sure they're right with God. You love this person so much that not only do you take care of their physical and emotional needs, but their spiritual needs as well. And as their soul grows closer to God, so will your relationship, as everything which has God as its foundation can weather any storm and overcome any obstacle.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You created man and woman to be with one another and love each other as You have loved us. Help me to bring the gift of Your love to my partner and open their heart to receive You fully. Help us to grow together in You. In Your Name we pray, amen.