Friday, November 13, 2026

“𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, Neither can the floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, It would utterly be contemned” (Song of Solomon 8:7).

According to 1 Kings 4:32, Solomon wrote 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs. This book is the “Song of Songs” or the best of all. It poetically illustrates the design of marriage by God through the love of a husband and wife. The commitment of love touches every area of the marital bond.

Committed love is described in verse 6 as “strong as death” and “a most vehement flame.” It is steadfast and lasting. Great trials nor hard times can quench it or drown it out. In verse 7, it is not surface or for sale. You cannot purchase true love. To try so would ultimately provoke great contempt.

We have heard the expression “𝐰𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞.” Many use this phrase when struggling to reconcile. They say things like:

"We have been through too many things for too long to forgive and forget anymore.”
"Too much has happened between us to try to go back to how things used to be."
"The past cannot be swept under the rug any longer as we go through the motions and play the part.”

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

By 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 one another

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

One writer noted that the word used for forgiving here is rooted in the word for grace. It means to deal graciously with someone or to give favor rather than demanding payback. When we “keep short accounts with God and one another,” we consistently “put away” (to deliberately lay aside and completely remove) the sins of the spirit which create hardness between us.

2. By 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 one another

A lady told about this brief conversation she had with her husband: “We were sharing a mirror in our daughter's guest bedroom while getting ready for a funeral and I asked my husband if I looked ok. He said I looked fine. I followed with, ‘Is there anything I need to fix on my hair?’ His reply, ‘I don't know, I wasn't looking at you.’ My important question to him was, ‘Do you even see me any more?’”

We must keep “seeing” each other through all the passing years by accepting, acknowledging and regarding one another continually:

Make sure you do not fall in love with the idea of marriage more than the one you are actually marrying or married to.
We tend to see nothing but the good in each other while we are dating. If we are not careful, after we have been married for a while we tend to see nothing but the bad.
Go back and recall the good things you originally saw in each other and what drew you together to start with.

3. By 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 your promise to God and each other

Marriage is not a contract that says, “I will if you will.” It is a covenant - an enduring promise made to God and each other that says, “I will come what may.” This is a union ordained by God and undergirded by loyal, devoted, committed, sacrificial agape love. It is a picture of the love that Christ has for the church as His bride. He chose to suffer on our behalf so we would not have to - “no greater love!”

May God give us grace and bless our marriages and homes. The many waters of the storms of life cannot destroy the house built upon the rock.

Sincerely,