Couple Love as Godly Love

[Roberto Cisneros]

There is so much to be said about love, but Godly love is the best kind of love for a couple. Julia and I (Roberto) in our own words—

Roberto: “Love is patient and love is kind” are more than a moniker tossed into wedding ceremonies, they are Scripture. Julia and I have had our ups and downs. We met in college in Mexico. She was ahead of me, already doing a masters while I was still an undergrad. Seminary brought us to the US and we have stayed and served here ever since. We have a wonderful batch of cute kids to call our own. But we have neglected each other before, and even ministry consumed me and my wife fell into infidelity. It’s embarrassing a bit to mention, but it is important that people know that you can come back from it. God restored our marriage and because of our mutual repentance, God’s healing has redefined us as a couple. We are more in love now than ever! And yes, the trust does come back, especially once the root of the sin is discovered and properly dealt with.

Julia: I appreciate my loving husband’s patience with me. There was a rough patch in our marriage that turned from months to years. It’s not just about sex, though that is VERY IMPORTANT too. It was emotional and spiritual needs that were the culprit and the Enemy used to try and destroy our family through adultery (mine, not Beto’s). God took me out of the dirty, nasty mud of my own self-pain, pulling both me and Roberto from the mire of desperation into hope renewed by God’s Words of love, a love which is “not self seeking and keeps no records of wrong doing.” This is God’s love exemplified.

 

[Hidden In Him]

There is so much to be said about love, but Godly love is the best kind of love for a couple. Julia and I (Roberto) in our own words—

Wonderful thread.

I have found that true godly love exceeds that which the world knows much about. It doesn't operate as much on possessiveness (though there can be an incredibly deep attachment), yet it ends up being a closer love; a love that can withstand any test the enemy sends against it. And it's an important thing, because the more important our lives become in the spiritual war and proclaiming the name of Christ Jesus, the more the enemy will target us and our loved ones, and exploit any weakness there might be in our relationships. I have a friend who moves in deliverance, and she has mentioned this to me. If you come against more powerful spirits, you will need to be on guard against things you might not have seen coming. She was operating with one pastor for a time but he was not ready. He eventually fell into sin with a woman in his church and it ended up destroying his ministry.

Does this mean we avoid the battle we are all called to face? God forbid. It is the very thing He is calling us to, for as the apostle Peter said in one place, we should not think it strange when fiery trials beset us. We are up against greater obstacles as servants of the True and Living God, and can potentially face both greater temptations and greater hardships. But it becomes a supernatural battle, where the love of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself fills our hearts to understand what our loved ones have gone through; what they were facing, and that the right thing to do is forgive. And all things work together for good, because He refines us into stronger, more powerful people with stronger bonds and stronger relationships, because we learn to be evermore understanding; evermore kind, loving and filled with the Spirit of God, even as evil spirits fill the hearts of those who face far less yet never gave themselves to God to do His refining work.

Blessings in Christ to both of you, and we may have to feature this thread in the future. There need to be more examples of what overcoming, godly love is all about. As Christians, we end up having what people in the world really want because we give ourselves to the One who can make it happen.