Love That Lasts: A Marriage Shaped by Christ

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Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. -- Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)

Bill and I have been married for almost 42 years. Those years included seasons of laughter and abundance, as well as moments of disappointment, hardship, and stretching growth. Like most marriages, ours has been shaped not by perfect circumstances, but by perseverance and faith in God through every high and low.

Scripture gives us a powerful picture of what sustains a lasting marriage. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25, NIV) This verse calls marriage to something deeper than romance or convenience and it calls for sacrificial love. Christ’s love was intentional, patient, and costly. He showed us the perfect way to love and without conditions.

Over the years, I have learned that this kind of love is a daily choice. It is choosing forgiveness over resentment, grace over pride, and commitment over comfort. It means loving when feelings waver and staying anchored when storms threaten stability. Sacrificial love doesn’t ignore difficulties; it faces them with humility and trust in God.

Marriage will encounter trials. Yet when couples invite Christ into those moments, challenges become opportunities for growth rather than division. God uses both joy and struggle to strengthen unity and deepen dependence on Him.

Whether newly married or many years in, the foundation remains the same. A marriage rooted in Christ-centered love reflects His faithfulness to the world. When we love as Christ loves, our marriages become living testimonies of grace that endures.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Consider what qualities make up a good marriage. Write them down on piece of paper.

2. Reflect upon your own marriage. How many of the qualities from your own marriage are on that piece of paper?

3. For the qualities that you wrote down that are missing from your marriage, please pray that God would guide you in making decisions and changes to make your marriage more complete.

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