God established the concept of love, dating, and marriage. What better way to learn how to navigate the waters of love than looking to the one who made it all.
In today’s blog, we will dive into resources backed by God’s word in search of principles that are still as relevant in today’s love landscape.
1. How To Love A Jesus Girl | Pastor Tolulope Moody
In this message, we learn that true love, rooted in faith, goes beyond superficial expectations and calls for a deep commitment to Jesus as the foundation of any relationship.
We are encouraged, through this resource, to align our dating choices with our spiritual beliefs to achieve fulfilling and enduring love stories.
Here are some key highlights:
The Importance of Shared Values: It’s essential for Christians to date or marry someone who shares their faith.
Love Beyond Emotions: True love is not merely about emotions or feelings but involves selflessness, sacrifice, and the desire to uplift and serve one another.
Jesus as the Standard of Love: Jesus sets the ultimate example of love through his actions and teachings. We are encouraged to model our love after His selfless humility.
“Nothing positions you for a strong, beautiful, exciting, and enduring love story like your faith in Jesus.” – Pastor Tolu Moody
2.The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
This book explores the concept of marriage through a Christian lens, offering insights on how to build a strong, lasting relationship based on biblical principles.
The book emphasizes that marriage is not just about personal fulfillment or romantic love but a reflection of God’s love and grace.
Here are key themes highlighted in this resource:
Gender Roles: Keller discusses the roles of husband and wife in a marriage, advocating for a complementarian view, where both partners are equal but have different roles within the relationship.
Selflessness: Keller argues that true love in marriage is about self-sacrifice and putting your partner’s needs before your own. Marriage thrives when both partners commit to serving one another.
Covenant Relationship: Marriage is described as a covenant rather than a contract. It’s a lifelong commitment, built on mutual promises, rather than a conditional agreement that can be broken when things get tough.
Cultural Challenges: The book addresses how modern culture often places unrealistic expectations on marriage, such as expecting a partner to provide complete emotional fulfillment, which Keller argues is impossible.
The Gospel and Marriage: Keller ties the Christian gospel to marriage, showing how the sacrificial love of Jesus is a model for how spouses should love each other.
“If your marriage is strong, even if all the circumstances in your life around you are filled with trouble and weakness, it won’t matter. You will be able to move out into the world in strength.” – Tim Keller
3. Sycamore Church’s Relationship Course
If you are looking to navigate the modern dating world while staying true to ageless biblical truths and principles, then this Relationship course is what you need. Inside you will find;
- Frequently asked questions about relationships
- The purpose of romantic relationships
- The various seasons of relationships
- How to build a strong relationship
4. Three Qualities You Need Before Marriage | Craig Groeschel
Dating can be fun, but it also comes with a lot of questions. Is there a better way to date? How can you find the right person? In this message, Craig Groeschel talks about the three qualities of marriage you can work toward before you’re even in a relationship.
Here are some key takeaways:
Our purpose isn’t to get married; our purpose is to live a life wholly devoted to Jesus.
Let God build your character because you don’t attract what you want, you attract who you are.
The strength of your community will shape the quality of your marriage every single time.
Don’t let anyone tell you cute doesn’t matter. They are walking with Jesus and you want to be attracted to them because one day you are going to get in a fight and when you do, when you are madder than you can imagine, what you want to be able to say is well, at least, you are cute.
These resources birthed from the scriptures tell us what love should look like irrespective of changing times. God’s idea of love is constant and never changing: a perfect reference point we can look to is to conduct the affairs of love, dating, and marriage just the way God intended it to be.
Written by Modupe Abidakun and Lolade Folorunso
Modupe and Lolade serve with the Content Team at Sycamore Church
(Blogposts are creative expressions generously provided for Sycamore Church. The ideas and thoughts do not necessarily represent the position of Sycamore Church)
