Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace [Paperback]

Gary & Betsy Ricucci (Author), C. J. Mahaney (Foreword), Carolyn Mahaney (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2006

Marriage is a profound and marvelous mystery established by Godfor his glory-and that is for our good. So many maritalrelationships never reach their greatest potential because theyhave the fatal limitation of being focused on one another. When ourfocus is solely on God, our marriages have the potential tothrive and not merely survive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Love That Lasts is thoroughly biblical, very practical, and quite convicting. The Ricuccis do not write from an ivory-tower mind-set but from the experience of working through to a successful marriage in their own lives. Every Christian couple should benefit from this book.” —Jerry Bridges Author, The Pursuit of Holiness “If you knew Gary and Betsy like I do, if you could see them together and feel the warmth, respect, and deep romantic love that they have for one another, you would snatch up this book and read it just to learn all you could from them. I recommend that you do so! They live what they write about, and that’s what makes their book so compelling.” —Joshua Harris Senior Pastor, Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

"Love That Lasts is thoroughly biblical, very practical, and quite convicting. The Ricuccis do not write from an ivory-tower mind-set but from the experience of working through to a successful marriage in their own lives. Every Christian couple should benefit from this book."
—Jerry Bridges, author, The Pursuit of Holiness

"If you knew Gary and Betsy like I do, if you could see them together and feel the warmth, respect, and deep romantic love that they have for one another, you would snatch up this book and read it just to learn all you could from them. I recommend that you do so! They live what they write about, and that's what makes their book so compelling."
—Joshua Harris, Senior Pastor, Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (April 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581347820
• ISBN-13: 978-1581347821
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, May 20, 2006

By 

Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace (Paperback)

"A potter begins by centering his clay on the wheel. When the wheel starts turning, he can't just grab the clay. He must carefully but firmly keep the clay in the center of the wheel. He has to work it gently but deliberately, applying just enough pressure to shape it while constantly adding moisture. If he lets the clay get cold, it becomes stiff, resistant, and unworkable. If he neglects the clay and fails to add water, it will dry out and crack. If he stops the process and then starts again, he may force the clay off center, or he may mar it by putting his hands on it too quickly or aggressively. It takes time, but if the potter is patient, creative, and firm but gentle, there's no limit to what he can create."

This brief excerpt is drawn from Love That Lasts, written by Gary and Betsy Ricucci. Gary, who wrote these words, applies this metaphor to a husband learning to practice romance as an art. "I am to pursue my wife consistently, warmly, and affectionately, lavishing her with encouragement and affirmation." What caught my attention as I read this section of the book was the lesson he seeks to teach through these words. While the lesson is meant primarily for husbands as they relate to their wives, there is such a strong parallel between the marriage relationship and the relationship of Christ to His people that I could not help but see a lesson for my relationship with the Savior. "Every wife is different, and so is every season of life." We could as easily affirm that "every person is different, as is every season of life." And here is the lesson: "But like the potter, we are committed to the process as well as to the outcome." That little sentence stopped me in my tracks.

"Like the potter, we are committed to the process as well as to the outcome." You see, I know that God has great things in store for me in heaven. I believe firmly that, when I die or when Christ returns, I will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. I will be instantaneously made perfect and will be restored to the state of perfection in which I was created to live. My relationship to God will be fully restored and I will no longer desire what is sinful. I know that this is God's ultimate goal, to display His glory in transforming me fully and finally into His likeness. God's goal for me is nothing less than glorification.

While I have full confidence in God's ultimate plan, I find that I have far less confidence in His committment to the process that precedes this consumation. When I read Ricucci's words I had to pause and reflect and ask myself if I truly believe that God is as committed to the process of sanctification as He is to the final act of glorification. Is Christ pleased with the baby steps He sees in my life, or does He lament that I do not grow more--that I do not grow faster? Does He rejoice with me as I grow in my knowledge and love of Him? Is He glorified even in the smallest, halting step I take towards being further transformed into His image?

I thought about this for a while. And then I saw in myself and in my attitude towards my wife just a shadow, a fleeting glimpse, of the work of Christ. I love my wife dearly. I love Aileen so much that my heart aches for her sanctification. I love few things more than seeing my wife reading her Bible, teaching the children about God, and being with her in times of worship. I pray continually that God will continue to mold her into His image. And, if I look carefully, I can see times when I have provided the leadership to help move her (and myself, and our children) towards this goal. I can see where I have been committed to the process. And best of all, I can see the joy I have taken both in leading her through the process and in seeing the results of the process. In my relationship with Aileen I can see, as if in a dim, clouded mirror, a reflection of the work of Christ in my life.

Of course I can also see with startling, shameful clarity the inumerable times that I have failed. I can think of opportunities missed or deliberately avoided. I can see times where my own selfishness and laziness have no doubt robbed Aileen of many a blessing. Yet my faith is stirred when I think that God never misses an opportunity. God is faithful where I am faithless, committed where I am laxadasical, strong where I am weak.

And I am grateful. My marriage ought to be a near-perfect metaphor of the relationship of Christ to His church. Because of my sin, and because of Aileen's sin, it cannot be. Yet through God's grace it can still be a shadow. It can still point to a greater, more perfect reality. It can point to Christ.

It also occured to me that there is a point at which the metaphor of marriage ends, for there is no glorification in a marriage. There will never be a time in which every marriage will be made perfect. Instead, marriage will cease. Like the sacrifices of the Old Testament, marriage will cease for it will no longer be necessary. We will no longer need this shadow to point to a greater reality since, thanks be to God, we will live within the final reality. As the feasts and festivals and sacrifices of the Old Covenant were fulfilled in Christ's death, so the ultimate purpose of marriage will be fulfilled in His return.

What became clear to me as I read this book is that by studying marriage as it is presented in Scripture, we are studying Christ. When we learn about how a husband is to love and care for His wife and how a wife is to submit to and respect her husband, we are learning how Christ cares for us and how we are to respond to His love. When we, as husbands, commit ourselves to the pursuit of our wives and to shape their hearts and lives through loving leadership, we learn how Christ molds and shapes us as we learn of the loving committment it takes to do this. When wives submit to the leadership of their husbands and respond to their initiative, they display the love and faith they must also have in the Savior.

Love That Lasts is a book that is well worth reading for both a husband and a wife. It is, in the words of Jerry Bridges, "thoroughly biblical, very practical, and quite convicting." The Ricucci's are members of Covenant Life Church in Gathersburg, Maryland and one can clearly see within their writing the influence of the ministry of C.J. Mahaney. I dare say that if a person attempted to combine C.J.'s books Humility and Sex, Romance and the Glory of God along with Carolyn's Feminine Appeal, he would end up with something much like this.

My only real disappointment was that it sometimes seemed that the authors were holding back. I know that they know so much more about marriage than they were able to relay in the 160 pages of this book and I wish that I could have learned more from them. Perhaps God will provide the opportunity for them to write more thoroughly in the future. I hope He does.

This is a book about marriage, about the relationship of a husband and wife. But on a deeper level, it is a book about the church, about the relationship of Christ to His people. And this is the way it ought to be, for marriage exists primarily for His glory. Marriage is not about me, it is not about her, and it is not about us. Marriage finds its purpose primarily in God. As the Ricucci's say, "A truly Christian marriage starts with the reality that the institution of marriage does not belong to us. It belongs to God. He designed marriage, and his purposes for it are paramount." Having read this book I can truly say that never has marriage seemed so important, so worth the investment, and so great a means of sanctification. I will let this sentence stand as my endorsement for this book, for I'm quite sure that there is no higher praise I could provide.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love that lasts, for a marriage that lasts., December 1, 2006

By 

Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace (Paperback)

LOVE THAT LASTS: WHEN MARRIAGE MEETS GRACE is a revised edition of a 1992 book by the same couple and with similar name. This is a magnificent volume for limited reading audiences. I say that for this reason; if you are a devoted Christian couple or seeking God's guidance in your marriage, this is a must read and you will cherish every page. If you are somewhat lackadaisical in your personal devotion to Christian living and believe you can build a strong marriage without God's grace and guidance, you probably won't finish the book, but then, if you fall in the latter category, you probably wouldn't buy it to begin with.

The book can be a bit tedious at times, but the style in which it is written prompts the reader to stop and think about what has been said. What I guess I'm trying to say is, this is not a book that you can breeze through in an afternoon, though it is limited to fewer than 200 pages. You have to really contemplate the messages and absorb the content to gain the book's full measure of benefit. This is a book that should be read with an attitude of dedication and resolve. Do that, and you will gain insightful knowledge.

One of the many things I have gleaned from its pages comes very early on in the opening pages of the first chapter where Gary likens marriage to a family vacation. That analogy set me to thinking on the subject and I worked out a counseling method that I have found most effective. When I am giving pre-marriage counseling to a young couple, they are often quite reserved at first, so I break the ice with asking about movies and the movie "Vacation" where virtually everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. Then I ask the couple to give details about their worst vacation, making notes along the way of things like, poor planning, not enough money, didn't really want to go so didn't enjoy it very much, weather conditions and a variety of other scenarios that went wrong.

In almost every case, once both bride and groom have told of their worst vacations, they have clearly outlined the exact things that I am there to counsel them about. I am able to illustrate how better planning, communication, attitudes, etc., combined with more realistic expectations on their parts would have made the vacations much more enjoyable. This opens up discussion for applying these same principles to their marriage. The fact that this all stems from their own personal experiences seems to make it all much more applicable as they are usually able to see that even that worst vacation could have been a treasure if they had been willing to except the pitfalls of life and "roll with it", working things out and altering your course as you go along.

I believe you will find similar gems in this book that will open doors to a stronger marriage. For a Christian couple, dedicated to building a strong covenant marriage, and using that marriage to serve the Lord, this is one of the best books you'll find.

Pastor Monty Rainey

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Refreshing, June 11, 2007

By 

A. Blake White (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace (Paperback)

This is a very refreshing read. It kindled my love for Alicia and for the ordinance of marriage. They have a very high view of marriage, namely because they have a high view of God, where marriage begins. As with all of the people at Sovereign Grace, these writers are Spirit-filled, Word-centered, and gospel-saturated. They also are complementarians, doing a great job covering roles and responsibilities. Another added benefit, is their understanding of the necessity of the local church in all of life, especially marriage. The chapter on the husband's role is insightful and challenging. The chapter for wives is great too.
These writers have spent some timing learning from the guys at CCEF (Tripp, Powlison). Conflict is inevitable (if there is true intimacy), but the way in which you resolve conflict is vitally important. I was particularly challenged to be very specific and use biblical terms when confessing sin (and no 'but's'). The chapters on romance and sex were great too. Busyness is a type of selfishness, a failure of priority. I would highly recommend this little book to all, single, engaged, and married. Throughout the book, they acknowledge their indebtedness to the Mahaney's and point the reader to their books for further study.
"Nothing is more important to your marriage than your theology" 21
"Nothing is more essential to a marriage, and nothing brings more hope, than applying the gospel of Jesus Christ." 23
"So many couples spend their lives avoiding conflict. They choose a superficial 'peace at any price'--a price much higher than they realize." 113