Which birthday is celebrated by more than two billion people in 160 countries, and generates nearly $900 billion in annual revenue? You guessed it—Jesus’! Still, despite the uniqueness of Jesus’ birthday celebration, and though nine out of ten people celebrate Christmas as a cultural holiday, only one-third celebrate it as a spiritual holy day. They don’t yet realize that the real reason we celebrate this baby is because of who He was at His birth. John 1:14 reveals that God from eternity entered into humanity so that humanity could know God for all eternity. The difference between getting through Christmas and truly understanding it comes down to these three things.

What do you think is the one ingredient that can transform an ordinary marriage into an extraordinary one? McDonald’s has its Big Mac sauce, Shake Shack has its Shack sauce, and even What-A-Burger guards its spicy ketchup recipe. These “secret sauces” give each restaurant its competitive edge. But there’s also a secret sauce to marriage that isn’t secret at all. It’s found in the word love. Now, this isn’t Hollywood’s love that evaporates when your spouse gains weight or loses their job. This is the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13, often called “The Love Chapter,” describing the hard work of what real love is and what real love does. As we study it, you can discover the answer to this question: Can two people who fall in love before marriage really stay in love after marriage? The answer depends entirely on what kind of love you’re talking about. The 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love doesn’t quit when your husband forgets your birthday. It doesn’t walk out when your wife criticizes you in front of friends. This is the kind of love that makes it to the finish line, not because it’s easy, but because it comes from the God who never fails.

Ever wondered the secret to marriages that last 60 years? I heard about an elderly couple celebrating their diamond anniversary who shared their story: On their honeymoon at the Grand Canyon, the wife’s mule stumbled, and she said calmly to the animal, “That’s once.” When it stumbled again, she said, “That’s twice.” The third time, she got off and shot the mule right between the eyes. When her husband asked why, she looked him in the eyes and said, “That’s once”—and they never had another major disagreement! While there’s humor in that story, the truth is that God desires for everyone who gets married to truly live happily ever after. When two people get married, it’s God’s will for that marriage to be a happy union instead of a civil war. He wants every marriage to end in celebration, not separation, enjoying marriage, not enduring it. That’s why God’s Word gives us a marriage example through an old love song: It’s King Solomon’s Song of Songs. In this book, you find the four essential keys to building a marriage that lasts.