Theme:   Love Sex and Marriage - How to Keep Your Marriage Growing

This eDevotional was written by a volunteer from Timberlake Church.

READ: I Chronicles 17: 16-27

THINK: Pastor Ben gave a wonderful explanation of the different meanings to the word "love" as it is

used in the Bible. He stated that a full expression of love, one that will keep a marriage growing has the components of brotherly love, affectionate love, passionate love and unconditional love. These four elements should be present in "covenant love," the love that will take a relationship to the next level.

The first time I had ever heard of a covenant was during my first year at college. I attended a small

Bible College that required all students to take an Old Testament History class. The Professor looked as if he had lived in this historical period. The first day of class he gave us a syllabus and explained that we were entering into a Covenant with him. A mandatory requirement was to come to his home and partake of homemade ice cream. He insisted that a crucial part of any covenant was eating together. It has been over 25 years and I still vividly see his smile as he and his wife greeted us and invited us into his home (even when I sneaked back with the other class a night later). He spoke of the importance of understanding the covenant and the seriousness of following it. His analogy of our relationship to him, to one another and to the community at large was explained to give a better understanding of God's chosen people, Israel, and His love for them in the midst of others who would not understand, accept or co-exist with them.

This simple act was very wise of my professor. His class was popular, starving college students love to eat. Many of us away from home were very excited to visit the home of a professor. We gathered in his home, away from the sterile class and felt a sense of community. He became more than a professor at a podium, he was approachable and showed that he truly cared about us as his students both inside and outside the classroom.

Pastor Ben described this as agape love. It is demonstrated as initiative-taking. Too often I prefer to react rather than act. If my feelings are hurt or I feel ignored it is easier to cocoon and stay quiet, silently storing up pain wanting or expecting my condition to be recognized. The healthiest action is to take action. I must be willing to use my words, to STOP pretending everything is ok and START expressing what I truly feel then TWEAK the attitudes that need it and CONTINUE with what is good.

DO: What words did you fill in on the notes from the lesson Sunday? There were 4 boxes:

STOP, START, TWEAK, CONTINUE. If you did not write something , do it now. A change in our behavior

will most likely yield a change in the atmosphere of our relationships. It also just might be the catalyst to change another person's behavior.

PRAY: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being LOVE. As we grow closer to you we gain a better

understanding of what it means to love and to be loved. Draw us to You through Your Word and prayer. May we choose to look at the condition of our hearts and desire attitudes and behavior that will reflect our commitment to You and to those we say we love. AMEN