THE PRINCIPLES OF A LOVING, GODLY RELATIONSHIP – WOMAN TO MAN (PART 6 – EXERCISE COMMITMENT)

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In Christ, Mark

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

My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies.

My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lilies.

May the wine go straight to my beloved, flowing gently over lips and teeth. I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.

Song of Songs 2:16; 6:2-3; 7:9b-10

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

We learn a lot of things when we enter into loving, Godly relationships in life but perhaps none is more important after love than the matter of commitment. Look at the biggest reason marriages fail and often it comes to the matter of one’s faithfulness toward their partner, an inability to stay loyal to the vows they took when they promised to stand by their mate through thick and thin, no matter what life might bring.

So what is so hard about staying devoted to one who you pledged to love and care for all the days of your life?

Perhaps the answer comes in how we commit ourselves to the Lord in the way we live.

Think about it. If someone fails to stay true to God, then they fail to receive His righteousness and holiness. And when they fail to receive His righteousness and holiness, then they will be vulnerable to falling into sin, sin that can take them down the road of immorality, sin that can lead them to infidelity.

It makes complete sense, doesn’t it? We have one primary choice to make that impacts all the other choices we make. Either we choose the Lord and allow Him to guide us to live upright in all we do or we choose to reject the Lord and allow Satan to lead us into iniquity.

It’s the matter of who we commit to, the Lord or Satan, that makes all the difference in how we commit ourselves to one another in relationship.

So what does commitment look like in a loving, Godly relationship?

Let’s continue our look at the Song of Songs and three different statements by Shulammite, the woman who had such a deep love for Solomon.

My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies.

My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lilies.

May the wine go straight to my beloved, flowing gently over lips and teeth. I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.

Song of Songs 2:16; 6:2-3; 7:9b-10

Do you see the reoccurring theme here?

Shulammite spoke with complete confidence about the solid commitment shared between her and Solomon. He belonged to her and she belonged to him. There was no need for anyone else in their lives. They only desired one another.

As a man who has a woman who is akin to Shulammite, I love to read her words because it reminds me totally of the devotion and dedication that Grace and I share, a commitment that first originates from our staunch belief and trust in the Lord. With this, I could completely see Grace echoing the words of Shulammite, saying “My beloved Mark is mine and I am his. His desire is for me.” That wouldn’t happen if I didn’t remain fully loyal and faithful to her in every way over the more than 21 years we have been together.

Yes, I can speak from experience when I say that one of the principles of a loving, Godly relationship is exercising commitment for your mate. Totally devote yourself to the Lord first and you will ensure this principle is present in the life you share with your mate.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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