What happens when the butterflies fade?

Falling in love can happen in a moment. Building a love that lasts takes a lifetime.

In Week 5 of LONGING, Pastor Phil Graves continues through Song of Solomon 6–8 and explores what love looks like after the excitement of the beginning, after familiarity sets in, and even after conflict has tested the relationship.

Mature love keeps seeing beauty. It knows where it belongs. It understands God's good design for intimacy. It continues pursuing. It protects love with healthy boundaries. And most importantly, it keeps choosing.

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me." — Song of Solomon 7:10

Our culture often treats love as something we fall into and out of depending on how we feel. Biblical covenant love says something different:

I chose you then, and I'm still choosing you now.

Marriage isn't the gospel, but the faithfulness we see in a healthy covenant relationship helps us understand something about the God who created love in the first place.

Jesus loved us first.
Jesus pursued us.
Jesus sacrificed for us.
Jesus remains faithful.

Our faithfulness will always be imperfect, but His never is.

Whether you're married, single, dating, or simply trying to understand what biblical love looks like, this message challenges us to move beyond a love based only on feelings and discover a love built on faithfulness, pursuit, sacrifice, and covenant.

Scripture: Song of Solomon 6–8
Series: LONGING
Message: Still Choosing You: A Love That Lasts