According to Colossians 3:14, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
In Colossians 3, the life of [a child of God] is described. Our wardrobe is a reflection of our lifestyle. Verses 8–10 declare that certain garments must be removed, including wrath, fury, malice, slander, and derogatory language. Verses 12–13 state that your new outfit should be made up of kindness, patience, tolerance, humility, meekness, and forgiveness. Then, “and above all this put on love” appears in verse 14.
This might be interpreted as follows: prioritize love above all else since it is the most significant factor. Better yet, you could interpret it as follows: place love on top of everything else. Love is the overcoat that fits every situation. Everything is “bound together in perfect harmony” by it. All those other positive qualities are bound together by love.
That is such a lovely description! It makes sense to look out for one another, to be kind, modest, meek, to be patient, to endure, and to forgive one another if you truly love one other. This is the reason this passage, “Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony,” is so lovely when considering how a husband and wife should treat one another in a marriage.
Various forms of love
To be honest, I’m smuggling a little bit right now. Since love is intended to mean much more than just love between a husband and wife in this context. It is about [the kind of love we can have for a lot of people]. However, that all-encompassing kind of love is also crucial to marriage. The unique marriage love, the love that is focused on that one man or that one woman, can grow when partners give this universal kind of love to one other with great abandon.
You will learn things about one another from living together that you never would have thought possible. I want to draw attention to two things that are hidden beneath the façade of love because of this. Never assume that love renders those things unnecessary. You can do these things because of love, and your love expands as a result. But understand that these are not the same as love. Colossians 3:13 contains them.
Bearing with one another
“Bear with one another” is the first. He doesn’t tidy up after himself. She picks up the incorrect kind of music. Once more, he has neglected to complete his share of the housework. She doesn’t stop bugging you. He holds [incorrect political beliefs]. Compared to you, she appears to enjoy herself more with her pals. That lamp still isn’t fixed by him. She’s running late to fill out that official form once more.
When you get married, you become one. Two merge to become one. That entails making a variety of significant and minor life adjustments. You are still two different persons, though, with different viewpoints, personalities, and pasts. This implies that you don’t constantly think the same thing and don’t approach things the same way. How would you handle that? Be patient with one another.
Due to your intensely intimate bond, marriage requires more tolerance than any other partnership. Learn to be tolerant. That implies, on the one hand, that you don’t have to be enthused about the way the other goes about doing particular things. It’s a freeing idea, that. It’s not necessary to love everything. All you can do is put up with it. Conversely, it indicates that you don’t become so irate over it that you start blaming the other person. Keep it from becoming so heavy that you need to ask for forgiveness.
You may feel depressed at times over something the other person is doing. That is a common occurrence in marriages. There are moments when you get upset with someone else for doing something. That is a common occurrence in marriages. However, a big part of your smile—not indifferent, but loving—and you reply, “Well, that’s the way he is,” is a prescription for a successful marriage. That’s just the way she is. Develop your tolerance skills.
Forgiving each other
However, there are other instances in which the other person’s words or actions cause you to feel sad or angry. The second objective is finally reached: “forgive each other.” One of the hardest things in life is to forgive. Christians get a significant benefit: you have personally been absolved of your sins by the Lord Jesus. You are aware of how wonderful forgiveness is.
For this reason, you forgive and you want the person you love the most to feel the same way. You can never again ask, “Forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors,” as long as you harbor resentment toward the other person (Matthew 6:12). Forgiveness is a sign of love.
Here, love is expressed as a directive. “Put on love above all these.” Love is a feeling. You experience it. When you look at your wife, your husband, it might be overwhelming. It can occur during the initial phase of a romantic relationship and even after 25 years has passed. Marriage improves with each passing day when you give yourself to each other. However, love is more than just an emotion. It’s an assignment, too. Put on affection. Embrace one another. Engage in the activities that accompany love, and watch how your emotions grow.
Marriage is a covenant
Getting married is one of the things that comes with love. You take a very specific step when you declare, “I will love you for the rest of my life.” You have sworn, not stated your intention, when you get married. You’ve committed yourself. You will never have to answer this question again in your lifetime: who would you choose to live with? You have vowed loyalty to your spouse, so the answer to that question is yes.
Both the married couple and the children that God grants them experience a great deal of tranquility as a result. Thus, being married is a tangible way for two people to show their love for one another. However, marriage requires constant love, which is the perfect bond.
