Love: God’s Design for Life, Marriage, and Family.
Love: God’s Design for Life, Marriage, and Family
With Valentine’s Day coming up this Saturday, I want to take some time this week to explore the subject of love. This thing we call love is hard to define, and explaining it to someone who has never experienced it can be a real challenge. Let’s take a closer look at what God says about love.
First, let’s look at the scripture in… 1 John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” God Is Love! We could define love as God.
Love isn’t something humans created. It doesn’t come from emotion, attraction, or even family ties. Love comes straight from the very nature of God, and as Scripture says, “God is love.” Every genuine expression of love—between spouses, parents and children, siblings—has its source in Him. Without God, love becomes shallow, conditional, and fragile. But when it’s grounded in Him, love is lasting, selfless, and full of life.
Love Between Man and Woman
From the beginning, God designed love to be expressed within the covenant of marriage. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Marriage is not merely a social contract; it is a divine union reflecting God’s faithful love for His people.
Husbands are commanded to love their wives sacrificially: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). This love is not domineering or selfish, but servant-hearted, patient, and protective.
Wives are called to respect and support their husbands. Ephesians 5:33 says “…and the wife see that she reverence her husband“, not out of weakness, but as a beautiful expression of harmony and trust in God’s order. When both walk in obedience to God, love flourishes—not because of perfection, but because of grace.
Love in the Family
The family is God’s primary place for love to be taught, lived, and passed on. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Love in the family is not merely affection; it is instruction, discipline, forgiveness, and consistency.
Parents are called to reflect God’s love by nurturing their children in truth. “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). A home filled with godly love becomes a place of safety, growth, and spiritual grounding.
Children, too, have a role in God’s design of love: “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2). Honor strengthens family bonds and invites God’s blessing.
Love Lived Out Daily
True biblical love is not just spoken—it is practiced. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Love forgives when wronged, prays when hurt, and remains faithful in trials.
The Apostle Paul describes love clearly: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind… beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7). This kind of love cannot be produced by human effort alone; it is the fruit of walking with God.
God’s Love: The Foundation
God’s love is holy, sacrificial, and unconditional. It is not based on our worthiness but on His grace. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This love is the foundation upon which all other relationships are meant to be built.
God’s love corrects, protects, and redeems. Like a perfect Father, He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6), not to harm but to restore. Without understanding God’s love, human love becomes distorted—selfish instead of selfless, demanding instead of giving.
A Call to Reflect God’s Love
In a world where love is often redefined and misused, God calls His people back to His original design. Love that honors Him will strengthen marriages, heal families, and shine as a testimony to others. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
May we seek God daily, allowing His love to shape our hearts, guide our relationships, and fill our homes—so that our lives reflect the greatest love ever given through Jesus Christ.
Have you felt God’s love? The way to experience it is through a personal relationship with Him. Do you have that connection with God? If you want to know true, unconditional love, all you have to do is ask.
There’s no better time than now to start living as if it were your last day on earth. Just take a moment to pray—tell God you believe His Son, Jesus, paid for your sins and rose from the grave. Let Him know you’re sorry and want to live for Him. He will forgive your sins and mistakes, give you eternal life with Him, and place His Spirit deep within your heart. As 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” and Romans 10:9 tells us, ”that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;“
Remember God Loves you!
Bob.
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