MY MARRIAGE IS HONOURABLE
MY MARRIAGE IS HONOURABLE
A DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024
NIYI ODUNSI
LOVING YOURSELF
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:39
Our theme verse is one of the most important Commandments that God gave the children of Israel. These days, many people frown at self love because they believe that it is a product of selfishness. We admonish people to love others and not themselves.
The Commandment given by God however reveals a fundamental principle in human relationships. You cannot love your neighbour more than you love yourself and herein lies the dilemma. If you do not love yourself, you cannot love anyone else. This is a major challenge in marriages today.
It is men that God commanded to love their wives. There is no where in the Bible where God commands wives to love their husbands. The question then is this: If a man does not love himself, how will he love his wife as he loves himself? There are lots of women married to men who do not love themselves and so they cannot love their wives.
How can you tell, if a man loves himself? Well, you can look at his dressing, to start with. Does he love himself to wear good clothes?Does he take care of his body? Does he watch what he eats? Is he doing anything to educate his mind? Is he doing anything to meet up with his God given financial responsibilities?
Growth and productivity is the default setting of humans. Humans grow physically, mentally and spiritually. Stagnation has never been God’s plan for humanity and it is your responsibility to grow everyday. It’s your responsibility to be committed to personal development. So when a lady sees a man who claims to love her but isn’t really doing anything to develop himself, then such a man doesn’t love himself.
Before and after marriage, a man’s responsibility is to love and cherish his wife. The simple logic here is that if a man cannot take care of himself, he cannot take care of a wife. A woman should not accept marriage proposals from a man who doesn’t love himself..
PRAYER
Thank you Lord Jesus for teaching me to love myself and constantly pursue self development. I choose to love myself and to love my spouse just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her. Amen
FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 22:39, Galatians 5:14,