"Living In Love" -2

"The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted." (Psalms 47:9) When it comes to unconditional love, there is only one right way to truly respond to it, and it is called "reverence"; although some might call that "fear", but fear is such a very misunderstood word. The reality of what is happening in relation to God's love for each and every one of us involves choice, as in, will I choose rightly to respond to His love for me? In other words, there are many vast responses that are wrong, most of which involve pride or selfishness, but there are very few responses that are right; much like "the strait gate" which Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7:13-14, which in narrow and does not allow for very many options. Reverence is the responding love that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 5:33, which is the wife's love towards her husband, and is a mirror image of our love towards God; which is not based upon our love for Him, but His love towards us. Many people think of the love relationship in a marriage as a two-way street, which I highly disagree with; looking at the love between a husband and a wife in such a way paints a picture of two equally portioned lanes upon a road, both of which are driven towards each other; but that is not the case, nor should it even be considered as the relationship in love between us and God. The husband is called to love his wife with a sacrificial love, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25); and any woman that is loved in such a manner by her husband, will surely reverence her husband; so the lanes are not equal, if anything, the wife rides upon the lane and in the direction of her husband's love for her; which again, is a mirror image of how we love God; much like the word "shields", as in "the shields of the earth belong to God"... "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." (Ephesians 5:28-33)