Help us to love one another, just as you love us.
We've already covered the 'be separate from unbelievers' bit a few weeks back so we'll concentrate on Pauls advice to the Ephesians in chapter 5. The whole crux of the matter is brought out in verse 2 “walk in love, as Christ loved us”.
Love is a powerful emotion, possibly the most powerful. Love is what caused Jesus to give up his life for us. As John records in the fifteen chapter of his Gospel “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (I've left verse 14 in, as this is often ignored and highlights just what we have to do to be Jesus' friend.)
So we'll start at the beginning. God created Adam and because he saw Adam was lonely he created Eve as a helper for him. It was Adam's job to look after the Garden of Eden and Eve's job to help him, provide companionship and further the human race. Life was so simple.
Unfortunately Eve wasn't content with her position as so was tempted by the serpent. We can all speculate on why Adam followed her. Was it her persuasive powers? Was it that Adam didn't want the roles reversed? Was it that he wanted betterment for himself as well? Whatever the reason, Adam also ate from the tree and suffered the same fate. Perhaps he remembered the loneliness without Eve and chose her companionship over being with God.
Marriage is a union; two becoming one. Any action in a perfect marriage will always benefit both partners. That is what God intended and the reason why we get married in the first place. There's probably no better way to live than when we are in a perfect marriage, putting the other person first because of love.
However, in the real world there are often differences. Sometimes we learn to live with them in one way or another. Love can cover a multitude of errors. The simple way to think about this is that
Love is central to any relationship. This is especially highlighted by God. One of the most famous quotes in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This shows God's love for us.
The Love that God shows us is eternal, and it's up to us to return that love the best way that we can. Our relationship with God is the most important thing we can have.