Love That Costs: The Beauty of Sacrificial Marriage
Sacrificial love in marriage is all about prioritizing each other's well-being, even when it costs us something. It's like that moment when you choose to serve rather than be served, reflecting the selflessness of Christ. We dive into what this love looks like, reminding you that it's not about draining yourself or entering a toxic cycle—it's about uplifting one another in unity and purpose. After 33 years of marriage, we share our journey and insights on how to create a thriving, nurturing relationship. So grab your favorite drink, get comfy, and let’s explore how sacrificial love can transform your marriage!
Diving deep into the essence of sacrificial love, this episode uncovers how marriage is more than just romantic dinners and shared Netflix accounts. Jeff and Teresa Fields, our delightful hosts, explore the selfless love that mirrors Christ's unwavering commitment to humanity. They break down what it truly means to serve one another, shedding light on the importance of intentional acts of service, humility, and grace in a relationship. With their own 33-year marriage as a backdrop, they share anecdotes and insights that encourage couples to prioritize each other's well-being, even at personal cost. They also emphasize that sacrificial love isn't about losing oneself; rather, it’s about nurturing a deeper unity and purpose in the marriage. Join us as we unravel the mysteries of love that goes beyond convenience and comfort, and instead, embraces the daily choices that lead to a fulfilling partnership.
In this heartwarming conversation, Jeff and Teresa highlight that sacrificial love in marriage is not a one-sided affair but a beautiful dance where both partners willingly choose to uplift and nurture each other. They remind us that true intimacy is built on selflessness, grace, and the willingness to forgive, even when it’s tough. It's about choosing each other daily, fostering a connection that flourishes through shared experiences and intentional communication. They provide practical tips for couples to cultivate a thriving marriage, such as setting aside time for meaningful conversations, serving one another without expectations, and prioritizing the relationship above all else. This episode is sure to inspire couples to reflect on how they can embody sacrificial love in their own lives, making every day a chance to express devotion and commitment.
As they wrap up this insightful discussion, Jeff and Teresa pose a challenge to listeners: how can you love your spouse more selflessly today? They emphasize that sacrificial love is a daily practice, one that requires effort and intention but ultimately leads to a richer, more satisfying marriage. Their infectious enthusiasm and relatable banter make this episode not just a conversation but an invitation to rethink what love in marriage should look like. So grab your partner, tune in, and get ready to be inspired to deepen your relationship and embrace the beautiful journey of sacrificial love together.
Takeaways:
- Sacrificial love in marriage means prioritizing your partner's well-being, even at a personal cost.
- True intimacy is built on selflessness, grace, and serving each other without expecting anything back.
- Daily acts of love and service can create a deeper connection and strengthen your marriage.
- Forgiveness over bitterness is essential for a thriving marriage, making it a daily practice.
- Sacrificial love means giving time and energy to your spouse, even when it's inconvenient.
- A successful marriage isn't about finding the right person, but about being the right person for each other.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Love that Costs the Beauty of Sacrificial Marriage welcome to today's episode of Inspiring Marriages where we explore the beauty of sacrificial love in marriage.
Speaker A:The kind of love that mirrors Christ's selflessness.
Speaker B:Marriage isn't just about romance and companionship.
Speaker B:It's about serving one another, dying to selfish desires and reflecting God's unto unwavering love.
Speaker A:We are Jeff and Teresa Fields and we are thrilled to have you with us today.
Speaker B:We've been happily married for an amazing 33 years.
Speaker B:Along the way we've been blessed with three incredible grown children, a fantastic son in law and the most precious grandbaby you can imagine.
Speaker A:Get ready to be inspired as we open up about our journey.
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Speaker A:What exactly is Sacrificial Love?
Speaker A:It's an unwavering commitment to prioritize another's well being even at personal cost.
Speaker B:It goes beyond feelings and convenience.
Speaker B:It requires intentional acts of service, humility and grace.
Speaker A:Well, we want to make clear what is not.
Speaker A:It's not depletion.
Speaker A:It's not where you deplete yourself and use yourself up.
Speaker A:We're talking not talking about a toxic relationship.
Speaker A:We're not talking about a co dependency relationship.
Speaker A:We're talking about a relationship or a marriage or a courtship where each other sacrifices for each other, for the betterment of the other person.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's so true.
Speaker A:Now, for a biblical standpoint, the sacrificial love is best exemplified by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and his love humanity.
Speaker A:Our core verse for this series has been Ephesians 5.
Speaker A:25 and Ephesians 25.
Speaker A:25.
Speaker A:ESV says, Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Speaker A:And we know that word love is the Greek word agape, which means selfless love.
Speaker B:Yes, that's good.
Speaker B:That's so good.
Speaker B:And now the voice translation sounds like this for Ephesians 5.
Speaker B:25.
Speaker B:Husbands, you must love your wives so deeply, purely and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love the anointed one has for his bride, the church.
Speaker A:I just love this, this translation of what Paul said in Ephesians 5:25 that commanded the husbands to love their wives in such a way they were so deeply, purely and sacrificially, that you can only compare it to the.
Speaker A:To the.
Speaker A:The love that Christ has for the church.
Speaker A: Now, John: Speaker A:So we're talking about sacrificial love this week.
Speaker B:That's so good.
Speaker B:Of course, he definitely lived that out before he literally laid down his life and when he did lay down his life.
Speaker B:So the amplified classic is slightly different.
Speaker B:Jesus said in this translation, no one has greater love, no one has shown stronger affection than to lay down or give up his own life for his friends.
Speaker A:And the new King James Version says, greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends.
Speaker B:That's so beautiful.
Speaker B:And the passion translation, this is really, really good.
Speaker B:For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all.
Speaker B:And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.
Speaker A:And we know that, of course, we're about.
Speaker A:As we're recording this, we're almost up to Easter that the greatest sacrifice in the.
Speaker A:In history of the universe was when Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
Speaker A:He paid a price he did not owe.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:He paid the price for our sins as a sacrifice.
Speaker A:And he did it in faith.
Speaker A:He did it without any guarantee that a single person would believe him or accept it for themselves.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:He did it in faith.
Speaker A:And he took our punishment that we really deserved.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:Taking the stripes on his back the thorns on his head and giving up his life.
Speaker A:And in our place, he was a substitution for our sins.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:For all mankind.
Speaker A:All mankind.
Speaker B:So powerful.
Speaker A:And that is the greatest love of all.
Speaker A:So Paul said that husbands, you should love your own wives the same way.
Speaker A:So we're talking about sacrificial love.
Speaker A:And in marriage, sacrificial love, it can mean choosing forgiveness over bitterness.
Speaker A:And we talked about before about forgiveness, about when you walk in selfless love, you walk in forgiveness, you walk in humility.
Speaker A:And today we're talking about sacrificial love, the selfless love that is sacrificial.
Speaker A:That's when we choose forgiveness over bitterness.
Speaker A:We don't take, keep score or take sides.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Keep a tally of wrong wrongs done to us.
Speaker B:It's a daily thing to forgive every day.
Speaker B:It's so easy for little things to, to cause unforgiveness, to build up, you know, just over every little thing.
Speaker B:And the Lord teaches us in his word to forgive, just be ready to forgive no matter what.
Speaker A:In marriage, sacrificial love means serving your spouse without expecting anything in return.
Speaker B:That's so powerful.
Speaker B:And of course we know Jesus modeled that.
Speaker B:We've been talking about that.
Speaker B:Before he washed his disciples feet, he.
Speaker B:He provided for them everywhere they went and you know, sought the Father to get directions so they would know what they were going to be doing.
Speaker B:I mean, he was always serving those around him and of course ministering to crowds of thousands of people at a time to, you know, from daybreak to dark, you know, just giving and giving, it's just, it's just so precious.
Speaker B:And of course he didn't expect anything return in return.
Speaker B:But like you said, he didn't have a guarantee that we were all going to believe him even and after the resurrection, follow Him.
Speaker B:But he did that in faith so we can, you know, walk in faith that as we serve our spouse, God is our rewarder.
Speaker B:God is the one who meets our needs and ministers to us for serving and thinking of our spouse before ourselves.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I'll speak to the husbands.
Speaker A:Husbands, your wife has been given to you to take care of, to serve and as a very precious jewel.
Speaker A:And you're to treat her like the daughter of God that she is, just serving her without expecting anything in return.
Speaker A:But we know God is not marketing whatever a man sows, he there, he shall therefore reap.
Speaker A:So we know there's sowing and there's reaping so we can believe in God.
Speaker A:So I'm not, Teresa is not the Source of the, of my needs, my innermost needs right now.
Speaker A:She can be an instrument to meet those needs.
Speaker A:But what I really need is, is the Lord and the relationship with God, the spiritual relationship is really what is fulfilling in, in this life.
Speaker A:But we should serve our spouse.
Speaker A:You serve them so wives, you serve your husband as the man of God that he is.
Speaker A:A man of God has been given to you, a child of God, given to you to a precious jewel for you to take care of and to serve.
Speaker A:And it's, it's a, it's, it's a two way street.
Speaker B:You know, we, it is when two people serve each other.
Speaker B:There's, there's no want, there's no lack.
Speaker B:You never feel like something's, you know, going unattended to.
Speaker B:It's just the Lord makes sure that each of us are serving the other because we're both staying before God in this marriage.
Speaker B:We're not just trying to wing this or.
Speaker B:Right, just do it in our own strength or in our own thinking.
Speaker B:God is giving me little cues like, you need to do this for Jeff.
Speaker B:You need to say this.
Speaker B:You need to remember to encourage him in this area.
Speaker B:And, and it's so important.
Speaker B:We're listening to the Lord and he helps us serve each other and of course he meets our deepest needs and then we're free to just be a blessing to one another.
Speaker B:It's not, I need this.
Speaker B:You've got to give this to me.
Speaker B:We don't ever feel that way.
Speaker A:Sacrificial love means giving your time, energy and heart, even when it's inconvenient.
Speaker B:That is so good.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Sometimes you might be tired.
Speaker B:You might be feel like you gave everything at the office, you gave everything to the kids that day or, you know, whichever spouse we're talking about.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:And of course there are women who work and come home and take care of the family and their husband and everything, the home.
Speaker B:But it's sometimes it's inconvenient to give a little more to your spouse at the end of the day or during the day, but it's so worth it because your marriage has to be your priority.
Speaker B:Just underneath God, your spouse is your next priority.
Speaker B:Not the children or the job or even church activities or friends and all of those other things.
Speaker B:We need to make sure that we're being intentional about giving time and energy and, you know, emotional connection, intellectual connection and all these things we talked about.
Speaker B:Spend time working on the romance of your marriage.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You know, be intentional in those areas.
Speaker A:Yeah, romance is intentional.
Speaker A:I Mean, you have to be intentional about romance.
Speaker A:And just, I know some people, there's different types of people in the world.
Speaker A:We know that some, that everything has to be spontaneous.
Speaker A:Other people, everything has to be planned.
Speaker A:But if there's a happy medium, right, where you meet halfway, where you have to really be intentional with your communication, you can.
Speaker A:Intentional with your quiet time, intentional with your meeting your spouse's needs and, you know, learn your spouse's love languages and, and be intentional about meeting them.
Speaker A:And, you know, just like a great meal just doesn't.
Speaker A:Oh, look at that.
Speaker A:We got salmon on the plates.
Speaker A:No, you have to prepare ahead of time, defrost and then get things ready and get the ingredients out and set the oven to the right temperature and put the timer on.
Speaker A:And then if you.
Speaker A:On your size, you got steam your broccoli or steam your asparagus or your sweet potatoes or your baked potato, and you take time and you do very intentionally at the right time, in the right moment, and it comes out a beautiful dish.
Speaker A:Same thing with romance and your relationship with your spouse.
Speaker A:It takes.
Speaker A:It takes intentionality to produce a beautiful dish.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:And like you said, you've got to.
Speaker B:You've got to set some time for romance, for special time together.
Speaker B:We've talked about this in a lot of different ways, but if you don't ever plan anything, it's going to be hard to.
Speaker B:To keep the romance going in your marriage.
Speaker B:It'll just seem to be brushed aside most of the time because old kids and work responsibilities, and now we got to go to these other things going on, and it can really get lost in all the activities and requirements that you have in your life.
Speaker B:So got to be intentional.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:It's like every other thing in life.
Speaker A:You know, you don't take a bath when.
Speaker A:When you feel like it, you do it because you need to.
Speaker B:So teach the kids that.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Sacrificial love means.
Speaker A:Means setting aside your personal desires for the sake of unity and peace.
Speaker A:And we're not talking about compromise or violating your.
Speaker A:Your marriage principles or principles your marriage.
Speaker A:We're not talking about that at all.
Speaker A:But sometimes you need to set aside something that you desire personally for the betterment of the other one.
Speaker B:You know, it's.
Speaker B:It's easy to just kind of fall into some habits of watching TV or, you know, just doing things that take up time instead of saying, well, let's get rid of all the distractions and let's read a marriage book together for a little time this evening.
Speaker B:Or let's make sure we have dinner at the dining table instead of in front of the tv or, you know, just practical things.
Speaker B:But it's so much better for your marriage to think this way.
Speaker B:Like, you know, well, we don't do it.
Speaker B:Usually do it that way.
Speaker B:Well, let's do the do.
Speaker B:Let's start doing this because it will help our marriage.
Speaker B:It will give us time to have our 30 minutes of conversation.
Speaker B:It'll give us time to, to grow.
Speaker B:In some things, if we're reading together or going through devotions together every evening or bringing the family together for devotion time, this is, this is important because we need to remember we want to keep growing and keep building our marriage relationship.
Speaker A:Sacrificial love is not about diminishing your identity or surrendering who you are.
Speaker A:It's about building something profound, something that reflects a deeper unity, purpose, and spiritual strength.
Speaker A:Now, sometimes women feel the pressure of, I guess, losing their identity or giving up who they are.
Speaker A:But you're not, when it's done correctly, you're not giving up who you are.
Speaker A:You uniting with your spouse, with your husband and husbands.
Speaker A:You're uniting with your, your wife.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:You're not diminishing your.
Speaker A:Who you are, but you're building something greater that reflects a deeper unity.
Speaker A:You know, your marriage has a purpose.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:Every marriage has a purpose.
Speaker B:Every marriage has a purpose.
Speaker A:And when you practice sacrificial love, you.
Speaker A:You will produce a greater unity.
Speaker A:You will reflect a greater purpose, and you will reflect spiritual strength.
Speaker B:That is so good.
Speaker B:You know, I think about women that sometimes they have to come home from working at a job, a career, and they were really on a career track.
Speaker B:And it may be because of children or it may be just because the job is just too demanding and it's so stressful that she's doesn't have anything to give her husband and her children.
Speaker B:Because, you know, some, some workplaces are highly, highly stressful and, you know, the emotion and emotional drain and all of the things that can go on in a workday.
Speaker B:For some women, it's just, it's way more than they need now.
Speaker B:I'm so glad that I could come home from work right before we got married.
Speaker B:But sometimes it happens along the way, you know, some far down the road into the marriage.
Speaker B:And for some women, their identity has been from their workplace primarily.
Speaker B:Like, they're really good at, you know, working on this job.
Speaker B:They're really good at dealing with people.
Speaker B:They're really good at getting contracts or, you Know, you know, working with customers or whatever it is, and then they come home and think, well, who am I now if I'm not doing that job?
Speaker B:But that's why, you know, as we talked about before, our identity comes from our relationship with the Lord, but because, because we're building something together.
Speaker B:Don't just have your identity coming from your job or even the fact that you're a parent.
Speaker B:Your identity is being married to your spouse and what you're building together.
Speaker B:You know, that's something that we've desired for many years and done a lot of ministry together over year, over the years, but really coming together and like doing these podcasts, it's.
Speaker B:It's like, wow, we had purpose before, but now we found even more purpose in our marriage to, to share things that we've learned and things we've walked through and share our story.
Speaker B:And this is something.
Speaker B:Identity that we have together.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:That's so good now for us.
Speaker A:For us, it was, it was better for Teresa to leave her job and be at home.
Speaker A:Now that was a sacrifice of.
Speaker A:It would have been nice to have that nice income in addition to my salary.
Speaker A:But that was a sacrifice because Teresa had a greater purpose and she couldn't be who she was, who supposed she's supposed to be by staying at the job that she had now some.
Speaker A:I mean, it's not true for everybody.
Speaker A:So we're not going to say that, you know, the wife must stay at home.
Speaker B:I mean, right.
Speaker A:It's not a decree from us, but for us it was, it was better for Teresa to, To become a homemaker and make our home beautiful and to teach our children.
Speaker A:She taught school for 25 years inside.
Speaker B:Our home, in our home.
Speaker A:So it's right for us.
Speaker A:It was better for her.
Speaker A:Even though it's a, it was a sacrifice financially, in the end, it was.
Speaker A:It do something more beautiful in our.
Speaker B:In our marriage that I couldn't imagine myself being a working mother.
Speaker B:I, I saw such a good example of my mom being at home for us and with us, and she was always there when we were done with school or she'd come and get us after school.
Speaker B:And she, you know, took care of the home, took care of myself and all of our, my siblings, all of our family.
Speaker B:And I had that model.
Speaker B:So I think that was a desire of mine not to be a working mother.
Speaker B:And it's a good thing because our son was born just a month after our first anniversary.
Speaker B:So we were parents pretty, pretty much right away in our marriage.
Speaker B:So that was a Blessing to already put all that stress of the workplace and all those demands behind me and be able to focus on our marriage and preparing for our first child.
Speaker B:That, that was so good for me.
Speaker B:It really worked well for us in.
Speaker A:A successful marriage is not about finding the right person, but about being the right person.
Speaker A:Choosing to love, serve, and sacrifice daily.
Speaker A:So like we said before, there's no.
Speaker A:You don't have a soulmate out there somewhere where there's only one person that you can be happy with.
Speaker A:Because even though as wonderful as Teresa is, we had adjustments to make after, after we got married.
Speaker A:We had to, we had, we had to adjust and we did.
Speaker A:And so it's.
Speaker A:I think it's a mistake for people to think, well, if, if this was the right person, this wouldn't be so hard.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker A:The hard part is, is to change in here.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Get rid of the selfishness and get ready.
Speaker A:Rid of the, of the pride and the self.
Speaker A:Focus and learning how to focus on the other one.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Focus on their needs.
Speaker A:And that's the, that's the change.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And that's the work of, of the marriage.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:Is to learn to refocus on.
Speaker A:On the other person.
Speaker A:Water their love language.
Speaker A:Oh, acts of service.
Speaker A:Oh, words of affirmation.
Speaker A:Oh, touch, oh, gifts, oh, time.
Speaker A:So it's just different.
Speaker A:Different ways your spouse receives love and interprets something as love.
Speaker A:And so it's something you learn and you learn you to refocus on your spouse.
Speaker A:So it's not about finding the right person.
Speaker A:It's about becoming the right person.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Theresa, that's so good.
Speaker B:And I love that we were already walking through that before God kind of gave us the, you know, the light bulb moment.
Speaker B:Like, oh, I think God is changing our friendship, our relationship into something more.
Speaker B:We had already been walking that out, trying to become the person that God wanted us to be individually so he could bring us together.
Speaker B:And it wasn't, you know, a big, massive life change.
Speaker B:It wasn't a shock, like, to start thinking about the other person because we'd already been living sacrificially, doing so much for other people and serving and, and doing ministry and just loving God and walking that out.
Speaker B:It wasn't a big, you know, shock to do that, you know, be coming together to be married.
Speaker B:But for some people, it is really hard to say, well, you mean, I don't get to have this done the way I like it or always my way.
Speaker B:You know, and we, we've talked about that, you know, with the humility episodes that we've done, it really requires humility and just, you know, crucifying your flesh.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:I know it's a Bible term, but you have to put down those selfish desires, the selfish thinking and, you know, what about me?
Speaker B:What about me?
Speaker B:That doesn't work at all in a marriage.
Speaker B:It's just going to be detrimental.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:The quote said, is.
Speaker A:Is about doing this daily.
Speaker B:Daily.
Speaker A:It's a daily walk with your spouse.
Speaker A:Well, when can I just relax.
Speaker A:It's a daily walk with your spouse.
Speaker B:You don't coast.
Speaker A:There's no coasting.
Speaker A:You know?
Speaker A:Yeah, I'll.
Speaker A:I'll give her a diamond ring.
Speaker A:I'll give her a bracelet, and then I could.
Speaker A:I could just coast.
Speaker A:New, new, new, new, new.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:I'll fix him a nice meal this night, and he should be satisfied for a while.
Speaker A:Won't be anything for a couple weeks.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker A:It is a.
Speaker A:It is a sacrificial.
Speaker A:We.
Speaker A:We learn to serve and sacrifice for the other person, to seek their.
Speaker A:The best for them.
Speaker A:That's so good at its core.
Speaker A:Sacrificial love asks both partners to give of themselves, not out of obligation or resentment, but I would desire to uplift and to nurture the relationship.
Speaker A:You know, ladies, you.
Speaker A:If.
Speaker A:If you were asking your husband to spend some time with you or talk to you, and he's like, all right, I'll do it.
Speaker A:You would be like, don't bother.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Or if the husband's asking for a special night and wife was, oh, okay, I guess I'll put up with it.
Speaker A:No, it's not.
Speaker A:It's not like this.
Speaker A:It's a.
Speaker A:It's a sacrificial, loving act for each other, and it's, you know, spending time together and talking and praying for each other and praying over each other.
Speaker A:It's ministering to each other's physical needs.
Speaker A:It's just ministering and it's connecting on an intellectual level, it's connecting on a spiritual level, it's connection on a emotional level, connecting on a physical level.
Speaker A:So it's just a connection where you're moving towards each other, laying down, sometimes laying down your own desires and your own pettiness and just.
Speaker A:And just really just laying it down for the betterment of the relationship.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:I love that you're nurturing the relationship when you serve your spouse.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's so powerful.
Speaker B:Just to say, we're nurturing our relationship.
Speaker B:We're making our Marriage better and richer and more satisfying, more of a blessing, right to each other by serving your spouse.
Speaker B:And of course that really shows to other people.
Speaker B:They see a couple that is servant minded towards each other and it, it really does speak to other people when they see how you interact.
Speaker A:I choose you even when it's inconvenient.
Speaker A:I choose us even when it requires effort.
Speaker B:So yeah, choosing your spouse over yourself, it may be a stretch.
Speaker B:Sometimes you may think, well just can I just think about myself today?
Speaker B:Can I just think about myself right now?
Speaker B:But if you are able to start laying that down and just saying I want to do what the word says.
Speaker B:Because if we follow what God has laid out for marriage, it will always bring success.
Speaker B:It will always be a good thing for your marriage.
Speaker B:It's not going to hurt your marriage to be thinking of the other person before yourself.
Speaker B:It's always going to be a blessing.
Speaker B:Now sometimes it's one sided, sometimes the other person is not there ready to serve you the way you are serving them.
Speaker B:But so many stories I have heard over the years when one person is selfless and they keep ministering to their spouse and you might think, well, oh, they're just being taken advantage of.
Speaker B:Eventually it really does get through to the, to the husband or the wife that was not serving their spouse.
Speaker B:And because the love of God is so powerful and kindness is so powerful and expecting nothing in return is so powerful that you are allowing God to work with the other person.
Speaker B:You know, they have a conscience.
Speaker B:Even if they're not born again, they have a conscience and God deals with people through their conscience.
Speaker B:And it's not to say, you know, you're such a sorry rascal, you should do something about serving your spouse.
Speaker B:No, the love of God just overwhelms someone that's had hurts or they have a hardened heart or they're just more self focused.
Speaker B:The love of God can get through to them.
Speaker B:Yes, the love of God can minister to them through your selflessness, through your service and through your kindness and you know, not chewing them out because they're not doing the same thing in return.
Speaker B:You will be amazed.
Speaker B:I know this, this is going to be a walk of faith for some people.
Speaker B:You know, whether it's the husband or the wife, it's going to be a walk of faith.
Speaker B:But you do what God tells you to do for your spouse and let God take care of the results.
Speaker A:You do what you can control, which is you, you do what you, you can do and let God bring the increase.
Speaker B:Yes, yes, let God Bring the increase exciting news.
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Speaker A:Join us wherever and however you prefer to tune in.
Speaker A:This Week's Friendship Builder so this week's Friendship Builder is about developing intimacy.
Speaker A:Start a tradition of weekly coffee dates or late night chats.
Speaker A:Now, it may not be coffee.
Speaker A:Teresa doesn't like coffee, but she may like tea.
Speaker A:She may like hot tea or some kind of beverage, tasty beverage.
Speaker A:But start a tradition.
Speaker A:Where would you just have pick a night where you may be able to stay up a little later and just have an a late night talk.
Speaker B:Mm, that's really sweet.
Speaker B:And it's, it can be, it can feel spontaneous.
Speaker B:You know, we talked in this episode.
Speaker B:Some people are planners.
Speaker B:Some people love to be spontaneous.
Speaker B:Well, you know, you can be spontaneous if you have a day that you've already chosen and that's planned or maybe it's a lunch date time, then you can be spontaneous about where to go.
Speaker B:Go somewhere different that week.
Speaker B:Try something new.
Speaker B:That, that just makes it a little more fun and interesting.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So try it.
Speaker A:Try a traditional weekly coffee dates or a late night chat.
Speaker B:I remember we were dating.
Speaker B:We sure had some late night chats.
Speaker B:You know, just sitting in the car or sitting, standing around talking outside.
Speaker B:Just, it was just so friendship building even before we were dating.
Speaker B:But then when we're dating, as we got married, those, those late night talks are really special.
Speaker B:It's kind of like when you can really open up and share some things and it can, you know, lead to great prayer time too.
Speaker B:You know, just the things that you discuss in those chats.
Speaker B:Or it can just be fun.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, you're not, you're not pigeonholed to anything.
Speaker A:Just do what's best for you.
Speaker A:But start a tradition of either coffee nights or coffee dates or late night chats.
Speaker B:Stay connected with us across all platforms.
Speaker B:Join our vibrant community on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Speaker B:Make sure to like, follow and subscribe for the latest updates and behind the scenes moments.
Speaker A:Got something on your mind?
Speaker A:Shoot us an email@inspiringmarriagest.net we're all ears for your questions or suggestions on how to enhance our podcast.
Speaker A:And if you have any ideas on topics you'd love us to dive into next, let's keep the conversation Going as we wrap up today's conversation, we hope that this stirs something in your heart, something deeper than fleeting emotions or surface level commitment.
Speaker B:Sacrificial love is more than just a concept.
Speaker B:It is a daily practice, a choice to give, to serve, to love without conditions.
Speaker A:True intimacy in marriage isn't built on convenience.
Speaker A:It's forged in selflessness.
Speaker A:It's the moments where we choose grace over pride, service over selfishness, and love over fear.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:And just like Christ's love for us, marriage thrives when both partners embrace sacrifice not as loss, but as a foundation for something greater.
Speaker A:As you go about your week, ask yourself, how can I love my spouse more selflessly today?
Speaker B:That is so good.
Speaker B:And we have something new to share.
Speaker B:We're going to be doing a special live event that'll be completely online.
Speaker B:We're calling it a couple's event and it should be coming up in September.
Speaker B:So we've got time to plan and prepare and we want you to to start putting that on your calendar that a couple's event we with inspiring marriages.
Speaker B:And we'll have some other special people to join us so we can talk about all things marriage and really have a fun time.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And it's those who are married, those who are courting, and those who want to be married.
Speaker A:It's not right.
Speaker A:It's not limited.
Speaker A:We're not going to exclude those who are single.
Speaker A:So yeah.
Speaker A:So we're excited about this coming up in September.
Speaker A:We'll have more definite dates and times later, but thank you for joining us in this conversation.
Speaker A:If this episode spoke to you, we would love for you to share this with someone who would need encouragement.
Speaker A:Don't forget to subscribe for more faith based insights on marriage, love and spiritual growth.
Speaker A:Next week we're going to talk more about sacrificial love in marriage.
Speaker A:Until next time, remember, husband and wife are friends for life.
