"Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage....."

Come on Al Bundy fans, sing with me!

I just wanted to share a post from someone who posted on a marriage forum I like to visit. The original poster was talking about not feeling in love with the spouse any longer. If you've spent any time in marriage ministry, serving couples, chances are you have heard this. If you've been married more than 4 weeks, you may have even thought this to yourselves. (Did I write that out loud?)

Anyways, another poster shared this with the rest of us. It realigns our thoughts and beliefs about God's definition of Love from the world's idea of cupid and butterflies in the tummy to 1 Corinthians 13 type of love.

I am encouraged to revisit this post as a standard to measure my beliefs about 'love' to make sure my thoughts and beliefs are lining up with God's. I also want to encourage unmarried men and women to look at this and KNOW this will be a challenge to be met in marriage and even in any relationships. I encourage engaged couples to look at this and be warned that "falling out of love" is a lie from the devil and has no part in a marriage covenant where Jesus Christ is the foundation of your marriage. I encourage couples in a struggle to let this be your guide in dealing with the EVERY DAY struggles of living with the opposite sex. I also encourage couples NOT struggling to see if this can help you take your marriage to the next level. I encourage EVERYONE to think about these wise words of encouragement because I believe realigning our thoughts about 'love' to God's thoughts about 'love' will help us live the life God intended. Enjoy:

Questions we should all ask ourselves:

Love is patient: Are we patient with each other? Do we bear with one another’s weaknesses?

Love is kind: Are we treating each other with loving kindness and grace? Are we tender-hearted in our attitudes and actions? Are we using cutting humour in how we relate to one another?

Love does not envy: Has either one of us displayed a spirit of envy? Are we exhibiting discontentment or resentment in what we have or don’t have?

Love does not boast; it is not proud: Are we being boastful, arrogant or haughty? Are we displaying an attitude of being more superior or smarter than the other?

Love is not rude: Are we being rude, intolerant or harsh with each other?

Love is not self-seeking: Are we living together in true partnership-not allowing our individual wants to take precedence over our relationship as a marital team? Are we giving back to each other or only taking?

Love is not easily angered: Are we being too irritable or hypersensitive with one another?

Love keeps no records of wrongs: Are we keeping “score” of that which we shouldn’t?

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth: Are we amusing ourselves and taking delight in that which would grieve God? When we converse are we speaking the “truth in love”?

Love always protects: Are we protecting each other's feelings? Do we rudely embarrass or belittle each other? Can it be interpreted in any way that we are attacking each other’s character?

Love always trusts: Are we living lives of trustworthiness? Are we putting our trust in Christ? Do we believe the best in our spouse?

Love always hopes: Are there times when we are quick to assume the worst in each other? Do we have hope because of Christ?

Love always perseveres: Are we giving up to easily? Are we persevering through problems and conflicts rather than caving in to them?