Recipe for Pancakes-Part 2

So, let's jump into making some pancakes for your spouse...your first ingredient:

Love is patient...

To begin, we need to look at the word, "love". This is not love as we would describe it in our culture today. Today, we would say love is a series of strong feelings that we have when we care for someone close to us. According to the images in movies and lyrics in songs, love is all about how it makes us feel and only on the most shallow of levels. It is definitions like this that are causing us to give up on our marriages.

The word "love" is the word "agape". It usually refers to the love that God displays toward us. It is the highest form of love and in today's post and the next few days we will see why. But, rather than us telling you what our thoughts are on it, let's allow the Word of God to speak for itself.

The first way that love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4 is "patient".

Now, don't think that this is going to be an easy word or definition to put away and forget. This word in the original Greek is defined as this:

1) to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart

a) to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles

b) to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others

1) to be mild and slow in avenging

2) to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish

When we read this we were kind of blown away. When we think of patience our minds tend to go towards thoughts like, "I will give her 5 more minutes and she better be ready" or "I will give him one more time to call before he is going to be late for dinner." Our idea of patience is so simple and foolish compared to the weight of what the Word means.

To persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles

This is so hard to grasp on so many levels. Thoughts of perseverance, bravery, and enduring misfortunes and trouble scare us. By even mentioning these things we have to assume that it means that there will be rough patches to come to say the least. And, as we all know, we don't like things that make us have to work...hard! I mean, enduring troubles?!?!?! Let's put this in context...what if what you are experiencing in your marriage never changes? The Word of God expects you to endure them...bravely! WOW!!! And to address misfortunes...those are things that happen everyday that irritate you. When he doesn't call, when she isn't ready, when you ask for certain things to be done and they're not...you know what we're talking about.

To be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others

We HATE to be wrong. We HATE to be offended or hurt. According to the Word of God, we are expected to patiently bear offenses and injuries. How does one get used to offenses and injuries, let alone patiently bear them? In application, this would mean that we don't defend or fight back when attacked. We remain quiet and focused on God instead of focused on the individual or situation.

Oh, we know this is not easy. What you are experiencing inside of you is the voice of the world's definition of love and patience. But, we have not been called to love according the world's standard or defintion. We have been called to love according to what God would have us do. God's definition of love is not about a feeling: it's about a holy response to an evil situation.

So, today, read and reread the definition of patient love and then ask yourself this...

What would God have you do in order to be patient
 in your love toward your spouse?

~Josh and Serena