Read I Corinthians 13:13.

From Our Daily Bread: A young man told his father he was getting married. "Are you in love?" the father asked. "I sure am!" the son replied. "How do you know?" asked the father. "Last night as I was kissing my girlfriend goodnight, her dog bit me and I didn't feel the pain until I got home".

A newlywed said he thinks love is practical, that his responsibility is to make life easier for his spouse. Consider also how the tougher aspect of love is to challenge each other to live in godly ways. Compare these two approaches. Does each lead to the other?

Read Hebrews 13:4.

In January 2010, Brit Hume commented on Tiger Wood's marital difficulties. Hume said sex outside of marriage has consequences, and he suggested that Woods' best chance for recovery lies with faith, and particularly the Christian faith. Many in the mainstream media expressed outrage over these comments. Which of the two of Hume's comments do you think created the most controversy? Why?

Read I Corinthians 6:18.

A recent study, which made the front page of the Washington Post, confirmed that abstinence-only sex education is more effective than any other approach in convincing unmarried people to wait until they are married to have sex.

Robert Rector and Melissa G. Pardue write on the Heritage Foundation website, "The collapse of marriage is the principal cause of child poverty in the United States.

Children raised by never-married mothers are seven times more likely to live in poverty than children raised by married parents".

Chuck Colson observes that in our prisons almost 90 percent of the inmates have no father role model. Discuss the following statement: Given how much poverty is caused by an unchaste lifestyle, abstinence education is a powerful poverty-fighter.

Read I Corinthians 13:5.

Rituals are a way for men and women to demonstrate key values and affirm their sense of belonging to a marriage. If you are committed to a team, you will do all you can to not make a mistake that would reflect poorly on that team. Consider, share and discuss the benefit of what you value as an important ritual in your marriage or team.

Read Genesis 2:24.

God's Word contains a great deal about marriage and the esteem He holds for it. As this world loses its respect for the institution of marriage, each of us needs to hold tightly to the sacred values of marriage. Discuss the effectiveness of the actions you have taken to make marriage - yours or others - stronger.

Read Genesis 8:22 and Jeremiah 33:20-21.

God has made covenants, which He will not break, one of which is with His creation. Compare and contrast your love for your spouse with God's love for the world. How vital is

your commitment to your marriage covenant?