Laying Yourself Down
Love as something you give, not feel.
Building relationships that endure.
The big idea
Lasting love is less about feeling and more about laying yourself down.
What does “Laying Yourself Down” walk through?
Love Like Christ
Ephesians 5:25 · KJV
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
In plain English
Husbands, love your wives the way Jesus loved his people — by laying himself down.
Sacrificial Love
The model isn't romance but the cross — love that gives itself away.
Clothed in Kindness
Colossians 3:12 · KJV
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
In plain English
Wear compassion like clothing — kindness, humility, gentleness, patience.
Put It On Daily
Kindness and patience are clothes you choose to wear, especially when it's hard.
Pray
Lord, teach me to love the way you love — patiently, sacrificially. Amen.
Write it down
How could you love someone sacrificially this week?
You finished: Love That Lasts
Feelings come and go. Choose to love anyway.
Which passages does this journey use?
2 passages, drawn from Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:12. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 5 minutes for the whole thing, or 5 short sittings.
- Ephesians 5:25
- Colossians 3:12
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.
More in Scripture Themes
All Scripture Themes →When Worry Won't Quit
Trading anxiety for trust.
A Grateful Heart
Counting gifts, not gaps.
Following Jesus
What it means to come after him.
The Upside-Down Kingdom
Blessings the world overlooks.
Who Is My Neighbor
Mercy that crosses the road.
How Jesus Taught Us to Pray
A pattern for honest prayer.