MESSAGE DELIVERED BY PASTOR CHARLES OJEI
MESSAGE TITLE: FAMILY LOVE; GOD'S WAY
Building Strong Marriages, Building Strong Homes
A strong marriage produces a strong home. And a strong home produces strong children and strong families. The foundation of every family is the relationship between the husband and wife. If that relationship is weak, the family will struggle.
God’s Design for Love and Marriage
God is the author of love and marriage. From the very beginning, He gave Adam a wife, and through them, families began to multiply on earth. Love did not start with human beings—it started with God.
That is why we cannot build successful families based on culture, society, or our personal opinions. For families to stand, we must do it God’s way, following His principles.
> 1 John 4:7-8 (NLT) – “God is love. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”
Since God Himself is love, we must be careful how we define love. Real love—the God kind of love—must be what rules our homes.
What Is the God Kind of Love?
The love of God is not ordinary. It is not selfish. It does not depend on what someone has done for you. God loved us even before we loved Him. His love is unconditional, selfless, and sacrificial.
> John 13:34 (NLT) – “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”
This is the kind of love God expects us to show in our families.
Love is not taking advantage of people.
Love is giving the best of yourself.
Love is not convenient—it is sacrificial.
Where Love Must Begin
1. Love Yourself First
You cannot give what you don’t have. If you don’t love yourself, you won’t know how to love someone else. Loving yourself means not giving up on yourself. Work on your weaknesses without destroying yourself. The same way, when others fail, don’t throw them away—correct them in love.
2. Love Your Spouse
Your first responsibility after God is to your spouse. That love must come from God—not from feelings that change every day.
3. Love Your Children
You can’t claim to love other people’s children and neglect your own. Charity truly begins at home.
4. Love Others
After family comes everyone else. God’s love flowing through you should touch people around you.
The Power of Forgiveness and Sacrifice
Two things hold love together: forgiveness and sacrifice.
Forgiveness: True love keeps no record of wrongs. Forgiveness must be unconditional and unlimited. When you refuse to forgive, you give the devil room to enter your home.
> Ephesians 4:26-27 – Don’t go to bed angry; don’t give the devil a foothold.
James 4:7 – Resist the devil and he will flee.
Forgiveness is not easy, but it is God’s way. When we forgive, we are showing grace—removing sins as if they never happened.
Sacrifice: Sacrifice means denying yourself to make someone else comfortable. Love is not love if you only give when it is convenient. God did not withhold His Son from us—He gave His very best.
> Romans 12:10 – “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
If you cannot sacrifice and forgive your spouse, no amount of material things can prove you love them.
