The word for this week is "benevolence". It is found only one time in the Bible and I ran into something that required a little more study! As I was checking my Interlinear New Testaments I found that one of them had this word in the verse and one of them did not! 1 Corinthians 7:3:
3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
KJV
"Benevolence" is the Greek word "eunoia". Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: good-will; kindness. Vine's Expository Dictionary also says: good will. The Theological Dictionary says: to be well-disposed; friendly; attached; to meet half-way. Louw and Nida Greek-English Lexicon says: a state of zeal based upon a desire to be involved in some activity or state; zeal, eagerness, wholeheartedness; serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord.
Given the context of the surrounding verses, many commentaries and other translations have stated this as referring to physical relations. That has never seemed quite right to me and now I think I have a better handle on it! Everything pertaining to God and His Word begins in the spiritual realm. WE are first of all living spirits. We possess souls, which consist of our minds, emotions, and wills, and we live in physical bodies. Our commitments to others, including friends, begins in the spiritual realm, continues into the realm of our souls where we develop our attitudes towards others, and then is expressed in the natural realm. I believe that this verse, FIRST OF ALL, is referring to our having an attitude of putting the other person before ourselves, being thoughtful, considerate, looking after their welfare. In other words, treating them in our thoughts, words and actions as we would Jesus Himself! Everything else will flow from this naturally! I have often said that there would be no need for marriage counselors or marriage seminars if each person would fall in love with Jesus most of all, and then treat each other the way we treat Him. LOVE! I KNOW that you have a handle on this, because the light of your love shines from the eyes of your beautiful girls! They are loved and they know it! You are truly a blessing! Here is a slower song from Hillsong called "I Keep Falling In Love (With You Lord)":
