Gary Chapman - Love Notes for Couples: 90 Days of Love Language Minute Devotions

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Love Notes for Couples: 90 Days of Love Language Minute Devotions

Copyright 2020 by Gary D. Chapman. All rights reserved.

Devotional content adapted from The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional published by Tyndale House Publishers under ISBN 978-1-4143-2973-4 in 2009.

Designed by Libby Dykstra

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When two people commit to each otherand especially when they commit to communicating their love to each other through the five love languagespositive change occurs. Time and time again, Ive seen the power of God transform relationships.

The building blocks of marriagesuch as good communication, respect, unconditional love, and forgivenessare foundational to any romantic relationship. And learning to identify and speak your spouses love language will benefit you and your loved one at any stage. I tend to use the language of marriage when I write, because my background is in marriage counseling, but if youre dating or engaged, you will find plenty of helpful information here as well.

You can use this devotional individually or sit down together as a couple to read it each day. Use the prayer at the end of each devotion as a starting point for your own prayerwhether you pray silently together or aloud, one at a time. In just a few minutes, you can discover encouraging biblical insights.

As an added feature, this devotional includes the Love Note Starter Kit, which you will find in the back of the book. This kit includes a few simple prompts to help you compose a love note to your spouse that will directly address your respective love languages.

Whether your relationship is strong or struggling, stable or challenging, my prayer is that this devotional will encourage you and give you renewed joy in each other. May your relationship be strengthened as you focus on loving and growing together.

Gary Chapman

Whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

MARK 10:44-45

The theme of the Christian life is serving Christ by serving others. Jesus came to earth to serve othersfirst by his love, his teaching, and his healings, and ultimately by his death. When we serve others, we are not only serving Christ, but we are being Christlike. So why not begin developing an attitude of service in our closest relationship? The fact is, we do acts of service for each other every day. However, we dont often talk about them, and consequently, we begin to take them for granted.

I want to suggest a little communication exercise that will bring service to the front burner. Its a game called I Really Appreciate That. Heres how you play it: The husband might say to the wife, One way I served you today was by putting away a load of laundry. The wife might respond, I really appreciate that. Then she says, One way I served you today was by cooking dinner. The husband responds, I really appreciate that. Play the game once a day for a week, and you will become more aware of the acts of service that you are already doing for each other. You will elevate them to a place of importance by talking about them. If you have children, let them hear you playing the game, and theyll want to get in on the fun.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your example of service. Please transform me more each day into your image. Help us as a couple to serve each other with love and to show our appreciation for each other.

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

PROVERBS 12:18

One of the most powerful things we can do to enhance the seasons of our marriage is to choose a winning attitude. How do we do this?

First, we must admit our negative thinking. As long as you think negatively, youll never be able to choose a winning attitude. The second step is to identify your spouses positive characteristics, even if thats difficult for you. You might even get help from your children by asking, What are some of the good things about Daddy or Mommy? Third, once youve identified those positive characteristics, thank God for them. Then, fourth, begin to express verbal appreciation to your spouse for the positive things you observe. Set a goal, such as giving one compliment a week for a month. Then move toward two per week, then three, and so on until youre giving a compliment each day.