“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. This is a verse we often remember at Easter.

Sacrifice

Love is sacrificial. We need to learn to love like Christ. Love is not selfish, in fact in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 we learn that: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

If we can model Christ’s love by adopting the above traits, then we will learn sacrificial love. It’s about dying to self and putting the other person first. We are naturally selfish human beings, we want what is best for us – ‘I deserve this’, ‘I’m not changing for anyone’, ‘I’m a good person, surely I should have love’, ‘I want the best and won’t settle for less’. How many times do we hear ourselves saying those sentences?

Love is about what we can give and not what we can get, how can we best serve others and help others grow in Christ? Being in a relationship is not just about you – it’s about your partner too, so this is important to remember when dating. Of course, you don’t want to follow any red flags or be walked over, but if both parties are sacrificial and emulate God’s selfless love, then you will be working towards a godly, Christlike relationship.

Love

Everyone needs love. Love helps us to thrive. Love fills us up. Love is necessary to help us be empathetic, kind and godly. We know it is better to give than to receive – the giving of love is important.

In a dating or romantic relationship, the small things matter – little love notes, kind gestures, little ways of filling up your date or your partner’s day – without needing anything in return, are all examples of how you can love in a godly way. Consider the other person when making decisions, too, and let them know that you are thinking of them.

Jesus loves each and every person on this earth. Reading the Bible, you can see how He loved even those who hurt Him. Love is central, keep the fire alive, keep finding new ways to show your love and learn how your partner feels loved.

Forgiveness

Among Jesus’s last words before He died were “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is vital in a long term, safe and happy relationship. We need to move on from the past, forgive, and keep no record of wrongs. For a relationship to work, you can’t be stubborn and leave matters not dealt with, as unforgiveness manifests itself in unkind behaviour, a toxic environment and unhappiness.

To be godly, we have to try and find a way to forgive when we’ve been hurt, we mustn’t bring up past mistakes as a tick list to making ourselves look righteous or to ‘win’ an argument. We all make mistakes, and we must try to keep the peace. Instead, we need to be humble just as Jesus is humble, we need to accept when we’re wrong, or forgive when necessary.

Fervent prayer

We know from the gospels that before Jesus was arrested, He went to pray in the garden, seeking God’s will and prayed hard. We know from Luke that sweat-like blood poured from His head. This is not just an ‘arrow’ prayer, this is serious prayer.

We need to pray as individuals and as a couple. When we are single, we need to be praying for our future partner; it’s never too early to do this. Take yourself off somewhere alone and pray.

When in a relationship we need to continue praying for our partner both together and alone. We can fight many battles in our prayer closet. We can become stronger together as a partnership when we battle through prayer together, as we put God in the centre of our lives.

If there are things we are worried about going into a relationship or while in a relationship, we can hand them over to God. God can move mightily and work miracles. We must be fervent in prayer, and we must make it a priority.

Reassurance

After Jesus rose from the dead, it wasn’t long before He was back making Himself known, providing reassurance to His friends, followers and family. We all need reassurance, and we all want to know that things will be ok. We can seek God for this reassurance, but also we can communicate and talk to our partners.

Easter is a time when we focus on Jesus, but also how we can be more Christlike in our attitudes and our way of life. Try not to focus on the world during this time – it’s superficial and although chocolates are nice, it’s important to look up to heaven, to seek Jesus and spend time with Him.

What has Jesus’s example at Easter taught you about love?

To read more about Easter on the Christian Connection blog, you might like ‘What the Easter story teaches us about hope‘ and ‘Why we should worship God this Easter‘