We were designed to love and when we do, something good develops inside. We feel clean, rich, whole. Even better, we become less concerned with how we feel and more concerned with the lives of others.
Larry CrabbFollowing Christ is a wild adventure full or risk, frustration, excitement, and setbacks. It is not an evening stroll in a planned community along a well-manicured path.
Larry CrabbMen who as boys felt neglected by their dads often remain distant from their children. The sins of fathers are passed on to children, often through the dynamic of self-protection. It hurts to be neglected, and it creates questions about our value to others. So to avoid feeling the sting of further rejection, we refuse to give that part of ourselves we fear might once again be received with indifference.
Larry CrabbIn order to meaningfully repent of the ways in which we violate love, we must recognize them. We wonโt recognize self-protective patterns of relating as sinful violations of love until we face the disappointment in our soul weโre determined never to experience again.
Larry CrabbMaturity involves two elements: 1) immediate obedience in specific situations and 2) long-range character growth.
Larry CrabbThe marriage relationship is one of God's creations for building up people. It gives husbands and wives the chance to minister to an immortal human being in a uniquely intimate fashion. To enjoy the meaningfulness of marriage, then, requires a once-made but ongoing commitment of mutual ministry to our mates and the more we seize them, the more meaning our marriage will have.
Larry Crabb