Essential Glue for Every Couple to Apply, Part 3

Swindle putting the revered CS Lewis to love it always to be vulnerable love anything your heart will certainly be wrong and possibly broken. If you want to make sure keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. The only place outside of heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers love is risk.

People who apply this essential ingredient to their marriage will stick together for a long time, even when life delivers disappointment when our expectations fall short of fire that once burned bright begins to dwindle into a Flickr love is worth the risk. And today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll reminds us how to stoke the fire if you missed Monday or Tuesday's program began with a helpful summary about the essential glue to hold couples together redrawing our application from first Corinthians.

Love is more valuable than prophetic knowledge utterance. Love is more valuable than biblical awareness love is more valuable than personal faith, believe it, it says it, and yet we find ourselves pursuing an answer to the mysteries and an understanding of knowledge and and unraveling all of these incredible statements in the Bible about faith but Paul says love, that's the ticket that's the one essential but when it works its way out.

Now that we know the priority of it. One of the characteristics give me some for instances. I'm hearing some of you say well if you look at the list in verses four through the first part of a you come across over a dozen characteristics each one of them is unique. Each one of them worth your time to think about apprise your life on the basis of what is said and you will interest interesting. You'll find that there are more negative than positive, more love is not than there are. Love is love dozen more often than loved us what sort of bunch up the group into chunks. We can bite off digest okay. Let's take patience and kindness together. Let's kick it off right there. Love is patient, love is kind. We have a term short tempered, but this is Matt role through media long temper that interesting.

Love is long temper love doesn't have a short fuse. John Chrysostom use these words to describe her its use. The one who is wrong and has it in his power to avenge himself but restrained from doing so. All of us are stronger than at least one other person or we maybe are able to pull rank on at least one other maybe several and even though that's true of us.

When we have that opportunity. And they've done us wrong we restrained from getting back or getting even. Love does neither.

What is also time what a great word.

We lost it in our evangelical churches.

I'm afraid we sort of left it. When we left the Methodist Church heard a lot about it when you were Methodist. Here we are independent, gathering and Paul revives it.

It's not a Methodist term. It's not a Presbyterian term.

It's not a religious term. It's kind kind.

It means friendly, helpful, free of pettiness and criticism. As a matter of fact, this word kind is used of aged wine that has mellowed like the word mellow love is the main week. It means well is 80 Robertson called gentlemen behavior member the words of Jesus come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is what you have same root word is kind. My yoke is kind, my burden is light. I would love to meet up with more kind Christians you just kind mellow gentle sort of disarm us something. Love is not jealous. Love does not brag and love is not arrogant. Let's group those together. The first term has in mind the idea of holding people loosely without suspicion. When you hear their name, you don't get suspicious if you love furthermore love does not call attention to itself. This term brag see it here in the verse. Love does not brag. This is called in Greek language are written in Greek classes complexly, not means. Once spoken only once focus. The only time in all the Bible all the New Testament where the original term translated brag appear so politics out of turn, expand in this day and he puts it in here under the spirits inspiration, bragging is what we do. Arrogant is what we are why we do it. Love doesn't do either.

Love isn't either. Love doesn't call attention to itself doesn't seek to be notice. Love also refuses to act unbecomingly. Verse five. It doesn't seek its own will weigh our rights talk about convicting the word unbecoming is the idea being rude or crude. It's a thought positively of being tactful and courteous saying thank you answering your welcome love is charming doesn't act unbecomingly and I I love this. It doesn't seek its own, being right in our theology doesn't give us the okay to be demanding in our relationship. Remember that it doesn't give you the freedom to pull rank on those that are biblically ignorant how pleasant and surprising to be around individuals who are well known and gifted and in demand who never make demands or expect special treat is a great proverb that says let another man praise you and not your own mouth stranger, not your own. You do good work, they'll find you there sing your praises.

Just be sure you don't believe it will read your own clippings and for sure, don't write him. Love doesn't seek its own way and don't you love is not provoked and doesn't remember wrongs done to it. It's an accounting term. It's the idea of taking into account are keeping on the ledger.

The first office provoke love is not provoked, it means to have an outburst of irritability doesn't fly off the handle. Irritability is a disk piece to the Christian family.

I mean I have to tell you was another church.

Another another place. I was going to do a funeral for a man who had died in his late 40s and left a wife and three daughters teenager. One was in her 20s man in the hostile environment so I show up in. I commit my little Bible and pen and pad to take some notes and before long. One of them throw something at another no and the other one gets up and punches her system like right over some the mother climbs over the table and she's always been fair or not, not all of the placement thought I did in the middle of John. Look, I'm just a little minister trying to do this you get out of this with my life and appreciate here's this Christian home correction. Here's his home were alleged Christians live is not the first time they had to fight me. They were to go to shots to this for the first time. You know what first place, and often the most often for this coming thing breaks is under a roof with the doors closed. Love doesn't go there. It doesn't make a disgrace of life. Get control your temper, it's very unbecoming. Cannot careful your fiscal solvent for you. You got two of those and only one mouth and they'll gang up on specially when they swing it, you first and tying in with that it does not take into account a wrong suffered, worn where's the rights one of the most miserable man I ever met was a professed Christian who actually kept in a notebook, a list of the wrongs he felt others had committed against them. Forgiveness means that we wipe the record clean and never hold things against people, you keep a list dump Burnet you know why because your list is poisoning others as you don't keep it to yourself.

Dump your list you going to apply first Corinthians 13. You got a leave without a list's okay.

We've all been hurt by this room has that in common like Peggy Noonan said when she covered a story we've all been shocked get in and drive just reducing the putty with your love. It works like a charm. It doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but it rejoices with the truth finds no pleasure never sympathizes with wrongdoing are wrongdoers, then what does it rejoice in truth, truth, truth and love have been lifelong friends, they always go together where you find love you find truth which means some time as a lover of another.

You have to tell them the truth. But remember the other guideline you do you do it with courtesy, you do it with kindness, love thrives on true love always speaks true when you seek the highest good of the other person. It requires truth where there is love.

You will find transparent and unguarded honesty. Even if the honesty is not easy to express and now the final four. The all things bears up under the load of all things. It believes the best in the midst of all things. It hopes through the struggles of all things. Don't let all that get by. It endures with great courage. The all things life is all about for plumbers line when love has no evidence it believes the best when the evidence is adverse it hopes for the best and when hopes are repeatedly disappointed is still courageously waits. I could tell by the look of some of your faces that you're waiting, and I commit you keep waiting. Love waits verse eight we read it together. Love never fails. Never let you down. It it never causes you regret it never promises more than it can deliver what we've heard of the priorities receive the characteristics we need a plan to implement this in actively put it in the world lives what is necessary. How can we get it going to give you three simple little three word statements that will help make it stick when it comes to love.

First, write it down is a good place to start. Express your love in your own handwriting. Not not a computerized note, not not embossed deal, not a typewriter right in your own handwriting. Note a brief letter.

Don't simply think it express it from your heart. Most of us have no idea.

We feel as we do about someone else to be right and tell and you know what sometime people frame those it's incredible. I was in a home several months ago walked upstairs to see the upstairs area happening notice on the look familiar.

My handwriting frame in the hallway I go home and did I spell everything right and I you know they frame that they frame the letter just a note to thank them and tell them how much I appreciated them framed and put it in their home builder that was your note, I got it in my possession. Someone else took the time to write a note and it said to me something I know the way, what a great gift to give Christmas time notes of love that you sign the link these stand and you wait days later, on the other reason you're not even there somebody reading something that will give them the courage to step into January.

Some of you were such great models of that I learned from you. I thank you for doing second risk.

It often don't miss this little part of risk it off. See, how can I could hear somebody say what you now do this one, go walked all over me well do it again. Bless your heart. It's okay. I love people are good L hang just go ahead.

Risk. You know what it's good for you. It's really good for you.

Let that love out. Let let it go. CS Lewis wrote some of his best words in his work. The four loves to love it all is to be vulnerable love anything in your heart will certainly be wrong and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal wrapping carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries. Avoid all entanglements locket safe in the casket or the coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket safe, dark, motionless airless, it will change.

It will not be broken. It will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The only place outside heaven, where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is hell, risk risk, you can anticipate my third simple little statement. Do it now.

Don't wait of them are be a bad hair day here you live indigestion under you know you change your mind, the enemy will convince you that it's not worth it. Don't wait dad's mom's know wait'll it's a critical life or death. Our don't wait'll it's your mom's deathbed or your dad's last few days on his feet are you kids Ann Landers column received this for the years go man rights. I remember talking to my friend a number of years ago about our children, mine were five and seven than just the ages when their daddy means everything to them. I wished that I could have spent more time with my kids when I was too busy working. After all, I wanted to give them all the things I never had when I was growing up, how I love the idea of coming home and having them sit on my lap and tell me about their day. Unfortunately, most days I came home so late that I was only able to kiss them good night. After they had gone to sleep is amazing how fast kids grow. Before I knew it they were nine and 11. I miss seeing them in school plays. Everyone said they were terrific but the place always seem to go on when I was traveling for business are tied up in special conference. The kids never complain that I could see the disappointment in their eyes. I kept promising that I would have more time next year, the higher up the corporate ladder. I climbed the last time there seem to be suddenly they were no longer 9/11.

They were 14 and 16 teenagers how to see my daughter the night she went on her first date or my sons championship basketball game. Mom made excuses and I managed telephone clock to them before they left the house I could I could hear the disappointment in their office in in in their voices but I explained as best I could one ask for the years of gone those little kids are now 1921.

During college I can't believe it. My job is now less demanding and I finally have time for them but they have their own interests and and there is not much time for me to be perfectly honest, I'm a little hurt.

Seems like yesterday. They were five and seven I give anything if I were able to live those years over, you can bet your life. I do it differently, but they're gone now. So is my chance to be a real dad.

No one says on their deathbed. I wish I had spent more time with the business you're probably never be on the floatplane that creams and crashes wind up in the water with your son or daughter.

The chances are good that you will look back with regret.

You don't capitalize on loving him now like God does us while we were yet sending Christ died for us that great way for us to get good. He reached out and risked when we were paid the price in full.

Back never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. Good news is that his love will never grow cold you love you all the way to your death. He's paid the price for your sins it's your move to come to him. He'll be all over it all over just come by faith. You don't even know the have to know the right words. Just place yourself before taking measure Savior if we can help you contact us, write us a note tell us will help you get going. Lord we got a lot of tough and bad habits to get over help us with them. We got a lot of honesty we have to face start doing this now a lot of notes we need to write. Got a lot a lot of love.

We need to give, give us the courage to risk and in the joy of seeing the benefits warm us with these thoughts. Our father as we hear the songs of the season holds close to yourself, just as it daddy held his boy till they die. Keep us near this true start with me so far.

Thank you for your patience now to him who is able to guard us from stumbling and present us faultless before his presence exceeding great joy to the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty. Now all this people's a man listening to Insight for living Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll. He titled today's message essential glue for every couple to apply and learn more about this ministry. Visit us online at Insight world.or well right now I'm pleased to tell you the check is written a book that parallels this teaching series on Insight for living. Dr. shares the same title marriage from surviving to thriving in this book more than 200 pages in length. Joe goes into greater detail on today's topic and there are seven other chapters on a wide variety of common issues you will be encouraged when you read marriage from surviving to thriving by Chuck Swindoll to purchase a copy right now. Go to Insight.org/offer or call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 in the last several weeks we've heard from thousands of friends from all around the world who affirm the value of these daily visits with Chuck many of told us that they can trace their listening back 10 2030 years and more.

It's wonderful to see what God is accomplished through this legacy of God's faithfulness. Someone left a note recently that said I've listen to you on K TIS radio in Minneapolis since the late seven I'm 81 years old and still listening to you Chuck on the same radio station, but we believe the best days are yet ahead as we deepen our friendship partners like you to give a donation today, listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or give a donation online insight.or/join us again. Chuck Swindoll explains what families need to thrive. Thursday on Insight for living. The preceding message essential glue for every couple to apply was copyrighted in 2004, 2006 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide.

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