Vertical Love
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. – Ecclesiastes 4:9–10
When love is built only on human emotion, it eventually runs dry. Feelings fade, chemistry shifts, and compatibility can falter under the weight of life’s pressures. But when love is built vertically — with God as its center — it draws from an eternal source that never runs out.
Marriage and relationships were never designed to be sustained horizontally, where two people look only to each other for satisfaction. They were meant to operate vertically, with both hearts anchored in Christ. A marriage with God at the center doesn’t just survive — it thrives. It transforms from a contract of convenience into a covenant of worship.
When conflict arises, the difference becomes clear. Without God at the center, couples fight to win. With God at the center, they fight for each other. Without God, forgiveness feels impossible. With God, grace becomes the natural response. Every relationship faces storms, but when Christ holds the foundation, the winds can shake the walls — they cannot destroy the house.
A vertical relationship is more than shared faith; it’s shared surrender. It means aligning your love story under God’s bigger story. It means looking at your spouse not as your savior, but as your co-laborer — someone walking with you toward the same King.
When both hearts chase after God, they eventually find themselves running side by side.
That’s how covenant love endures — not because two people hold tightly to each other, but because both are holding tightly to Him.
Reflection Question
What would it look like to make your love more “vertical” — rooted in God’s will and sustained by His presence — rather than “horizontal” and dependent on feelings or circumstances?
Real covenantal love is sustained by the presence of God in your marriage.
Prayer
Lord, center my love around You. Help me to build every relationship on the foundation of Your truth, Your grace, and Your presence. When my love runs out, let Yours flow through me. Teach me to love vertically, for Your glory and others’ good. Amen.
When love is built only on human emotion, it eventually runs dry. Feelings fade, chemistry shifts, and compatibility can falter under the weight of life’s pressures. But when love is built vertically — with God as its center — it draws from an eternal source that never runs out.
Marriage and relationships were never designed to be sustained horizontally, where two people look only to each other for satisfaction. They were meant to operate vertically, with both hearts anchored in Christ. A marriage with God at the center doesn’t just survive — it thrives. It transforms from a contract of convenience into a covenant of worship.
When conflict arises, the difference becomes clear. Without God at the center, couples fight to win. With God at the center, they fight for each other. Without God, forgiveness feels impossible. With God, grace becomes the natural response. Every relationship faces storms, but when Christ holds the foundation, the winds can shake the walls — they cannot destroy the house.
A vertical relationship is more than shared faith; it’s shared surrender. It means aligning your love story under God’s bigger story. It means looking at your spouse not as your savior, but as your co-laborer — someone walking with you toward the same King.
When both hearts chase after God, they eventually find themselves running side by side.
That’s how covenant love endures — not because two people hold tightly to each other, but because both are holding tightly to Him.
Reflection Question
What would it look like to make your love more “vertical” — rooted in God’s will and sustained by His presence — rather than “horizontal” and dependent on feelings or circumstances?
Real covenantal love is sustained by the presence of God in your marriage.
Prayer
Lord, center my love around You. Help me to build every relationship on the foundation of Your truth, Your grace, and Your presence. When my love runs out, let Yours flow through me. Teach me to love vertically, for Your glory and others’ good. Amen.
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