SUPPORTING LOVING, GODLY RELATIONSHIPS (PART 5 – HELP A NEW COUPLE BE STRONG)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

Song of Songs 8:8-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When we meet that man or woman who God intends for us to be with and make the decision to commit for the long haul, everything changes in our life. I think anyone who has entered into a loving, Godly relationship would agree with that.

In the midst of that change, it’s not easy. There’s a lot of adjustment that has to happen as you acclimate to spending every day together while sharing this thing called life. It’s not just seeing one another temporarily, going out to dinner or a movie or dancing, enjoying that time together and then parting with a kiss to return back to your respective homes. No, it’s now doing all those things and then going home together to share everything like the bathroom, kitchen, bed, and just space in general. Where you may have had some personal privacy before, now you are always in the presence of your partner, day after day after day after day.

As I said, it’s an adjustment.

So how can we be a source of support for new couples as they embark on the journey of life together? How can we help them work through their time of adapting to being together all the time?

Hopefully, we can find the answers to our question in our scripture passage and this final devotion taken from the words of the friends found in the Song of Songs. Look at this from chapter 8:

We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar. (vv 8-9)

Note that those who are starting a committed relationship will need a lot of support and even help from others along the way. We have covered this through some of the other devotions in this series. The way their love can become fully mature and valued not just by God but esteemed by others, like the love shared by Solomon and Shulammite, is through working together to glorify God in their relationship and receive support others might provide them to that end.

If the partners are like walls, then those who support the couple will try and turn those walls into items of value by building up the walls to where they carry far more worth than they originally had. A wall with silver towers upon it would be looked upon as a wall with stature, set apart and distinguished from other walls. Those who love and care and support a young couple can help reinforce the love they share in relationship with one another, leading that love to grow and become distinguished, adored by others and favored by God.

This is a kind of love that is beautiful, the kind of love that we all should be aspiring to and encouraging others to have as they begin by opening the doors of their hearts fully to one another. Over time, we, those supporting the couple in their loving, Godly relationship, can help take those open, heart-revealing doors from being ordinary to being extraordinary and noteworthy, like doors enclosed with panels of cedar. Doors like these, like the walls with silver towers upon them, catch the attention of those who see them, leading them to a spirit of admiration over the splendor and exquisiteness they see.

Every couple who opts to come together and share life forever starts at the beginning. Some make it for the long haul while others do not. When we are acquainted with a new couple, we can do a lot to ensure that the loving, Godly relationship succeeds and doesn’t fail. We can do so by edifying couples up and supporting them during the years they spend together, building silver towers upon their walls and enclosing their doors with panels of cedar.

The end result is a love that will endure and sustain, a love that becomes a model for others as they start to build loving, Godly relationships, and finally a love that they can share some day with another couple who was they were once, just getting started and trying to adjust to a daily life spent together.

There’s so much at stake when people commit to one another and enter into the myriad of challenges that can bring. Let’s all make a concerted effort to embrace and always reinforce young couples, helping them to build a strong relationship with God and with one another.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com