Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Choose a Spouse: Love is...

©Millie McNabb

I recently read in I Samuel 25 the interaction of Nabal and his wife Abigail. Nabal was rude and ungrateful to David, and David was about to come destroy Nabal’s household. Abigail interceded and saved their lives. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died. David proposed to Abigail and she became his wife. It’s a wonderful Cinderella story.

When we choose a spouse, we want to look for the Abigail characteristics. Can you imagine living out a lifelong commitment to a Nabal? My experience has been that God is more likely to let us live with the consequences of our choices than to strike fools dead. Our choice of spouse is serious business.

Nabal and Abigail probably had an arranged marriage. Abigail was beautiful and intelligent. Nabal was very rich, but harsh and evil in his doings. When push came to shove, Abigail put her own life in danger, to shield her husband and household from destruction. That was love in action.

I Corinithians 13:4-8a describes love and can serve as a checklist for the qualities to look for in a spouse.

  • "Love is patient,
  • love is kind {and}
  • is not jealous;
  • love does not brag {and}
  • is not arrogant,
  • does not act unbecomingly;
  • it does not seek its own,
  • is not provoked,
  • does not take into account a wrong {suffered,}
  • does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
  • bears all things,
  • believes all things,
  • hopes all things,
  • endures all things.
  • Love never fails.”

What “love in action” qualities attracted you to your spouse?

God bless….

Millie McNabb, founder of Christian Values Legacy, has been married over thirty years. She offers parenting seminars that focus on passing on your Christian values. Request your free report “Considerations for Intentionally Raising Children to Become Christian Adults” today at www.ChristianValuesLegacy.com.

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