Love Has a Pricetag
Related Categories: Marriage
In her classic piece, A Man Moves Toward Marriage (source: Love has a Pricetag by Elisabeth Elliot), Elisabeth Elliot addresses the topic of men, dating and marriage. She doesn't pull any punches and declares that "If men would be men, women could do a 
better job of being women (and vice versa, of course but the buck really stops with the men). What does it mean to be a man? Christ is the supreme example. He was strong and He was pure, because His sole aim in life was to be obedient to the Father. His very obedience made Him most manly - responsible, committed, courageous, courteous and full of love. A Christian man's obedience to God will make him more of a man than anything else in the world."
Elisabeth continues to describe the qualities that flow from obedience to God: responsibility (Man was made to be initiator, provider, protector for women); commitment (He must be a man of his word, no matter what it costs.); Courage (a man must be willing to take the risks of 
rejection, blame and all that commitment costs.); courtesy (A Christian's rule of life should be: my life for yours.); Purity (He must be master of himself if he is to be the servant of others.).
Valentine's Day conjures up a definition of love that includes roses and candy and silky lingerie. But girls, while you're waiting for that one true love, carefully consider these character qualities. Don't sell yourself short by settling for a man who does not share a commitment to obedience to Christ.
It would be easy to end the challenge with the spotlight on men, but godly men are looking for women who are sold out to obeying God's Word and cultivating a character that reflects redemption. As I review these qualities, I am challenged to look at my own heart and consider if I am selling my husband short in any of them. Am I a woman of my word, no matter what it costs? Am I courageous in taking risks by serving those who may not appreciate my heart or acts of love? Am I courteous, other oriented? Am I a woman of purity? Do I discipline myself in a way that flows out into serving others?
In the aftermath of this Valentine's Day, let's think about the greatest love reflected in the man of all men, Jesus. And how He longs for His great love to flow out through our lives (men and women) and into the lives of others.
In His Grip,
Sharon
This more accurately describes how my husband expressed his love for me. One of my "love languages" is gift giving and his is definately not! I would say that his is "acts of service." In the last 18 months I have seen our relationship grow and seen him grow as a husband in these areas (protector, initiator, etc). Although I struggle with being called to live with a head injury, I can definately see that we have grown through this situation in ways we might not have, or would have had to learn through more difficult experiences had this not happened. Been thinking lately that God has been kind to me in my circumstances by looking at the positives. Although I am not functioning right now at anything approaching "normal," my injury could have been so much worse. And my husband has risen to the challenge, er..."stepped up to the plate" as it were (don't like that phrase). After I hit my head I was complaining that I could not be involved in ministry at church as I was used to doing and thought was expected of me and I said to him, OK whined: "I can't step up to the plate!" And he said, "Michelle, you have been hit by the ball." Total absolution. I haven't felt guilty about that since. Wistful, I miss it. But not guilty. And someday I may be able to be more involved again. Rabbit trail. Poor dh is getting anxious because I have done so much snickering and hooting about ooshy-gooshy stuff. This is really what I want, but carrying on like this is not the way to get him on board.
"He is no fool, that gives up, what he can not keep, to gain, what he can not lose." James Elliot. Pastor Chuck, has not been blogging much, so I ended up here today. Not much,into, this lady kind of stuff. Maybe I should be. I think that God would like me to be a little more "warm and fuzzy".Dan
Chuck has been on a blogging hiatus while he finished up his new book, Teaching Them Young, but watch his blog, he'll be back this week. This post has had some interesting feedback, in particular from young women who have been "burned" in their relationships, realizing that they have given more of themselves than appropriate and feel cheated and empty because of the betrayal of their trust. I hope this message will encourage women and men who are looking for the right person, to protect the treasure of themselves, to guard their hearts and to view potential spouses through the grid of scriptural values. Even if you have "sold out" and now regret it, it's not too late to step back and start over, to evaluate what values are non-negotiable in character and integrity. Our culture does not encourage such priorities and instead pressures men and women to give away the treasure of themselves to anyone and everyone. Girls, don't do it. And while you are searching for that special person, ask God to shine a light on your own heart and prepare you to be that special person for someone else.
