Love is Patient

The Lord called Adam into a trustful and loving relationship and He wanted Adam to trust Him to meet his needs and to provide for Adam in His time. The Lord said that He would provide a helper suitable for Adam but it was not yet His timing. The Lord had something else for Adam to do before He brought along the one whom He had created for Adam.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. Genesis 2:18-20

There are three M’s in a man’s life and they need to be in a certain order. A young man must first choose who his Master will be. He must decide if the Lord God will be his Master and if he will follow and obey Him. After choosing his Master then a young man needs to find his mission in life. The Lord promises that those who choose Him will hear His voice so that they can follow Him. He will lead the young man into the calling or mission that He has designed the young man to fulfill. Then the Lord will bring into his life a mate who will be that “helper suitable” for him.

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. Genesis 2:21,22

It is best for the man to “be asleep” and allow the Lord to bring him a wife rather than for the man to go looking for a wife. The Bible says that the “eyes of man are never satisfied” and if he allows his eyes to choose the “one” for him then she may not be the one that God has chosen and he will not be satisfied with her as time goes on.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

If a young man allows the Lord to choose the wife for him then he will not be disappointed. He will be exhilarated with her love.

Be exhilarated always with her love. Proverbs 5:19b

Adam was thrilled with Eve and expressed his excitement when Eve was given to him. In the original language, the way Adam expressed was “WOW”!!

The man said,“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23

Love is Not Alone

Love can not exist by itself. Love is relational. Adam needed a companion to share life with and one with whom he could be of one spirit, one soul and one body. Together they were the image of God and were to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 1:18

The word “suitable” means “corresponding to” in the original language that the Bible was written. The prefix “cor” means heart so the design was that the woman that God would bring to Adam would respond to Adam’s heart. She would know his innermost needs and longings and she would respond to his heart. The Lord made woman to be a responder and she can’t and won’t respond to just any man but God’s plan is that she will respond to the man that God has designed for her to be his helper. For this reason it is important that the husband love his wife so that she will learn to respond to him in the way God designed. The marriage relationship is a picture of God’s relationship with His people. The wife is to respond to her husband just as the Lord wants us to respond to His heart.

… He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’ Acts 13:22b

A wife who responds to her husband’s heart will do what her husband’s will is and not her own will. For this reason she will be of great worth to her husband and his heart will trust her.

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

Proverbs 31:10,11

When a wife learns to respond to her husband’s heart and he trusts her then she will fulfill her role as his “helper”. This word “helper” literally means savior and this is the only time in Scripture where it is used in reference to a person. She will be that important to him and he will have no lack of gain. He will have found a good thing and she will bring him favor from God.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing
And obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22

Each person will find their satisfaction in life when they fulfill the role for which they were created. That person will be blessed and will be a blessing to many. The word “blessed” means happy. When a wife discovers what the Lord has for her then she will bring great happiness to her husband and she will also find happiness in accomplishing the work that God has given her to do. Since every woman and every man is different then the relationship will look different as each man’s heart and each woman is uniquely made by God. However, the promises, commands and instructions do not change. They will only be expressed in different ways. The outcome will be the same. Her husband will praise her and God will be glorified. There will be love, respect and trust in the marriage.

Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
“Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:28-30

Love is a Choice

The Lord gave Adam a job to do, which was to cultivate and keep the garden. Adam was the first gardener and he tended the food source for the animals and humans. There was no death or food chain in the world at this time since all of the animals ate green plants. Man and animals lived in harmony. There were also no weeds in the garden so that Adam’s work was a delight and it was good.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. Genesis 2:15

The Lord gave everything to man to enjoy but the Lord set a boundary for man and that was that he could eat from any tree but the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16,17

There can not be love without a choice and the Lord was giving Adam the opportunity to choose Him and to live securely in His love. The Lord only had good plans for Adam and if Adam would choose the Lord and do exactly as the Lord instructed him then Adam would live in harmony with the Lord and everything around him. When God made Adam in His image then He made Adam upright but gave Adam the freedom of choice. Love is a choice. Adam had a choice whether to love God or not to love God. He could choose the Lord and follow His commands and instructions or Adam could go his own way.

Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices. Ecclesiastes 7:29

The Lord still gives people the choice to love Him or not to love Him. All through history men and women have been given that choice. Those who choose to love the Lord will also choose life and those who do not choose the Lord choose death.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; Deuteronomy 30:19,20a

We all must make the choice whether or not we will love the Lord and choose to follow Him or whether we will follow after our own desires and make our own choices.

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

The Lord knows our needs today just as he knew Adam’s needs and desires. The Lord loves you and He wants you love Him and choose Him so that you may live.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10b

The Lord loves you. If you want to love the Lord and choose Him then you need to call on Him so that you might have the good life that He intended for you from the beginning of the world.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

Love is a choice. The Lord does not force anyone to love, follow and obey Him.

Love is The Plan

Love is God’s plan and love was God’s plan from the beginning. God’s design was for Adam and Eve to be in a loving relationship with Him and His plan was for them to live together in a loving, harmonious relationship forever. Forever in love with Him and forever in love with each other. God is love and He made the first humans in His image.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27

God blessed Adam and Eve. God made them both to rule. They were to be one and rule together in harmony with each other and in submission and fellowship with God.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26

The Lord God blessed them and gave them instruction what to do. They were to multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. They were to rule over every living creature. In His goodness the Lord provided food for Adam and Eve and food for all of the animals. All that the Lord did in creation was very good. There was nothing to add to it and nothing to take from it.

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:28-31

All that God does is good because He is good. His ways are perfect and we can never add to them or take from them to make them better.

I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

God is love and His plan from the beginning was that man would experience and live in His love.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. I John 4:8

Often people want to know where they came from and what is their purpose in life. Humans are so intricately made that only One of infinite wisdom and power could have created them. God created man and woman to be in a loving relationship with Him. People will find their meaning in life when they fulfill the purpose for which they were created. God loves people and longs to be gracious to them and have compassion on them. How blessed are those people who long for Him.

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,

And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.

For the Lord is a God of justice;

How blessed are all those who long for Him. Isaiah 30:18