DAY 11 — LOVE CHERISHES. EPHESIANS 5:28 KJV Marriage is more than two people simply living under the same roof. According to the Bible, marriage joins a husband and wife together in a relationship so close that God describes them as “one flesh.”
That means when we hurt our spouse, we are hurting someone God has joined to us. When we encourage our spouse, care for them, protect them, and strengthen them, we are caring for the marriage God has given us. Ephesians 5:29 reminds us that no man normally hates his own flesh, but “nourisheth and cherisheth it.” To cherish someone means we recognize their value and treat them as precious. Our spouse should never have to wonder whether they matter to us. Biblical love does not treat a husband or wife like an inconvenience, an opponent, or somebody standing on the other side. Marriage was never intended to be “me against you.” God’s design is for husband and wife to walk through life together.Day 11 of The Love Dare challenges us to look at how we are treating the person God has joined to us. Do our words communicate value? Do our actions demonstrate care? Are we protecting our spouse’s heart or unnecessarily hurting it? Are we treating them as someone precious to us? The challenge for today is simple: Cherish your spouse. Look for a practical way to demonstrate that their needs, feelings, burdens, and well-being matter to you. Treat them with honor, tenderness, patience, and respect.
Don’t live as though you are on opposite sides. You are on the same team. Because biblical marriage is not simply two people living beside one another. It is two lives that God has joined together. Love cherishes them as part of you.