Marriage, To Love and Cherish

Ephesians 5:17-18

17 Therefore do not be unwise,
but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

Ephesians 5:21

21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Ephesians 5:25-33

25 Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but that she should be holy and without blemish.

28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as

the Lord does the church.

30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh
and of His bones.

31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh."

32 This is a great mystery,
but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself,
and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height —

19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

John 15:12-13

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Ephesians 5:25-33

25 Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

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This love is describes in the great Love Chapter

1st Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5 or rude.
Love does not demand its own way.
Love is not irritable,
and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.

6 It is never glad about injustice
but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

7 Love never gives up,
never loses faith,
is always hopeful,
and endures through every circumstance.

8 Love will last forever, NLT

1st Corinthians 13 reveals the commitment to all that love does.

Love is a choice and commitment and covenant to be a do all that is described in that great passage.

Love is a duty and an sacrificial obligation to one another. But in marriage not only are we to love

we are to cherish one another.

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CHERISH

Ephesians 5:28-30
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as

the Lord does the church.

30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh
and of His bones.

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To make your spouse feel cherished,
you must view each other as
your Adam or Eve;

the only man or woman for you.

They are your IDEAL of what a woman or man should be.

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To cherish means you hold them in highest honor.
They are the one of greatest value to you.
They are you priceless treasure.
They are your greatest delight.
They bring you the greatest joy.
They are the one that you long for with everything within you. They are the greatest object of your greatest desire. There is no one you would rather be with.
There is nothing you would rather be doing that being with them.

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Peter says in

1 Peter 3:7

Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, NKJV

The weaker vessel is like fine china.

It is delicate, priceless, beautiful, treasured.

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Listen to some of how Solomon describes how a man cherishes His wife

Song of Solomon 4:10-15

10 How sweet is your love, my treasure, my bride! How much better it is than wine!
Your perfume is more fragrant than the richest of spices.

11 Your lips, my bride, are as sweet as honey. Yes, honey and cream are under your tongue. The scent of your clothing is like that of the mountains and the cedars of Lebanon.

12 "You are like a private garden, my treasure, my bride! You are like a spring that no one else can drink from, a fountain of my own.

13 You are like a lovely orchard bearing precious fruit, with the rarest of perfumes:

15 You are a garden fountain, a well of living water,
as refreshing as the streams from the Lebanon mountains." NLT

Song of Solomon 1:15-16

15 "How beautiful you are, my beloved, how beautiful! Your eyes are soft like doves."

16 "What a lovely, pleasant sight you are, my love,... NLT

Song of Solomon 2:14

Let me see you; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant,

and you are lovely." NLT

Song of Solomon 4:7

7 You are so beautiful, my beloved, so perfect in every part. NLT

Song of Solomon 4:9

9 You have ravished my heart, my treasure, my bride. I am overcome by one glance of your eyes,
by a single bead of your necklace.
NLT

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Husbands -- this is how you are to CHERISH your wives. This is how she longs to know you feel about her. This is how your wife longs to know you delight in her. This is how your wife wants you to talk to her.

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To Cherish your wife means that
you will not look or feel about any other woman this way.

You need to live in such a way with your wife that she will feel absolutely SECURE
in your love
and in your relationship.

Husbands you need to build a tall fence around your heart, your mind,
and around your marriage.

Do not let another woman, and do not let Satan gain even a toehold
in your life
or
your marriage.

Cherish your wives and her alone! 7

One of the biggest problems I have seen men make in this area is that they will begin to compare their wives to
another woman they know.

and this is how they do it.

They compare their wife's weaknesses to
another woman's strength.

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Do not compare your spouses' shortcomings to anyone else's strengths.

That will never increase your satisfaction in marriage. That will never help your spouse to grow.

That will only discourage you and increase your frustration and
increase the distance between you
and
lead you to withdraw from them.

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One of the best gifts we can give our spouse is to tell them
with our Words, Affection and Eyes

"You don't have to be anyone other than who you are!" You are to me my Adam /Eve,
You are the only Man/Woman in the world for me.