Celebrating love

1 Thess 1:2-3

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;”

Today is February 14 and almost everywhere in the world if not everywhere people are remembering and celebrating love. So I want our meditation to be along this theme. Paul in 1Corinthians 13 tells us after all said and done these three things are the ones that will abide, faith, hope and love. So I see these three things as necessary tools that must work together to enable people have a good relationship or enjoy their marriage. Look at the way Paul put them together in our text above: work of faith, labour of love and patience of hope.

To those not yet married but in a relationship, you are in that relationship because of love, you probably were first attracted to each other from the physical perspective, but I want you to know that to maintain that love there is labour involved. Love is not

abstract, love is real, it can be felt and it can be seen. But right now your relationship is one hanging on hope and that hope makes you put your faith in the person you are in relationship with and also in God that it will lead to marriage. The Scripture says, hope maketh not ashamed for the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If that love you feel for that person sprung from the Holy Spirit, the hope you have of this leading to marriage will not be disappointed in Jesus name.

To those already married, this applies in a slightly different way:

1 Thess 1:3

“We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”NIV

Because you are already married, this means you already have faith in this relationship and in one another and in God, so let your faith be accompanied with works or corresponding actions. You cannot be speaking wrong things about your marriage and expect it to work or last. The Scripture says if you have faith, you will show by your works that you do, so show by your works that you have faith in God as far as your marriage is concerned and you have faith in your spouse.

Then it talks about love prompted by labour, simply put, if you say you love your spouse help her with house chores, or with the baby(ies), etc. And lastly, because you hope for a better marriage, you endure. Don’t give up on your marriage, yourself or your spouse, have hope of a better life together.

May the Lord keep you strong in your love one for another.