2020-02-04
Ecclesiastes 9:9 NKJV
Three things happen in a good marriage: (1) You get to know yourself. To grow, you must be able to look at yourself realistically, and the best place to do that is in a home filled with love. It lets you be open about your mistakes and shortcomings. It’s a safe place to fail. It creates a listening environment filled with understanding and support. The people closest to us form us. When Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize, she was asked, “What can we do to promote world peace?” She replied, “Go home and love your family.” If you want to change your world, start at home. (2) You get to know your character. A Christ-centered home not only helps form your children’s character, it strengthens yours too. Character is built on the choices you make and habits you cultivate. And since your family creates your primary environment, it influences those choices and habits. Strong families encourage us to make good choices, develop the right disciplines, and pay the price today for success tomorrow. (3) You have a safe haven. It seems like the pace of life gets more hectic every day. Driving on overcrowded roads is stressful. The workplace is demanding. The schoolyard is an increasingly hostile environment. Where can you find shelter? If not at home, then probably nowhere. Theodore Roosevelt said, “I’d rather spend time with my family than with any of the world’s notables.” His home was his safe haven in the midst of life’s storms – and yours can be too. The question is: What are you doing to make it that way?
Soul food: Isa 38-41; Matt 12:15-21; Ps 111; Prov 3:29-30
2020-02-03
Proverbs 18:22 NKJV
If you’re over sixty, chances are you grew up in an era where you didn’t know too many divorced couples and the subject was taboo. Now your children are growing up in a world where marriages fail every day. If you don’t want yours to be one of them: (1) Learn to show your love. Psychologist William James says, “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” And if we don’t feel appreciated at home, there’s a good chance we won’t feel appreciated at all, because generally speaking, the world doesn’t fulfill that desire. The best thing you can do for your spouse and your children is appreciate them and love them – not based on their performance, but simply because they’re yours. (2) Pay attention. The Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, said, “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” And that works both ways. A successful marriage is one that can go from crisis to crisis and keep getting stronger. Commitment, not emotion, is what carries you through. If you only intend to stay married as long as you feel like you’re in love, you might as well quit now. Like anything worthwhile, a good marriage requires constant attention. (3) Protect your time together. If you feel like you ought to be at work when you’re with your family and vice versa, something’s wrong. Call a family conference and agree on how much time you should spend together. If you prioritize and protect those times, your marriage will thrive.
Soul food: Isa 34-37; Matt 12:1-14; Ps 107:33-43; Prov 3:27-28
2020-01-24
1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT
When you violate your marriage vows. You violate God’s Word, break your spouse’s heart, embarrass the cause of Christ, live with the fear of exposure, and trade short-term pleasure for long-term pain. So before you get involved, seek God’s help, and stand on His Word. “Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another…God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery” (Hebrews 13:4 NLT). “Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires” (Colossians 3:5 NLT). “Don’t participate in…promiscuity and immoral living…Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires” (Romans 13:13-14 NLT). “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does…Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NLT). “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT). If you’re toying with the idea of having an affair, or you’re already in one, or you’re trying to get out of one, stand on the Word of God today and believe Him for victory.
Soul food: Isa 1-3; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 96; Prov 3:5-6
2019-07-27
1 Corinthians 7:39 TM
The Bible teaches us that the basis for a good marriage isn’t just sharing the same bed every night, but the same values and goals every day. Without those, it will be like talking to each other in a foreign language. Now, you won’t always agree, and you must accept that. But if you want to reach the same destination you’ve got to follow the same road map. Like building a house, you need to work from an agreed-upon set of blueprints. After a while you discover that physical intimacy alone isn’t enough. That might get you through the night, but it takes genuine friendship and shared faith in God to get you through the years. We’re talking about husbands and wives who communicate without saying a word because the same purposes and principles govern their lives. And when problems arise, as they invariably do, they seek solutions from the same source – God. When life fell apart for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they came before God together because they had both had a relationship with Him. After all, how can you correct the problem if one of you doesn’t think there is a problem? True intimacy comes when the sex is over and the commitment is stronger than ever. It allows you to be with someone without always needing to impress them. One author puts it like this: “When we know we’re loved because of who we are, we become healthier in mind and more intimate in expression. We’re freed from the fear of rejection and loosed from the anxiety of having to perform.”
Soul food: Deut 11-13; Matt 12:38-50; Ps 78:17-31; Prov 16:26-30
2018-07-22
Ephesians 5:33 NIV
A woman went away on a long weekend retreat. Halfway through the final Monday morning session she suddenly jumped to her feet and left the room. Concerned, a friend followed her to see what had made her leave the meeting so abruptly. She found the woman hanging up a telephone in the lobby. “Is everything all right?” she asked urgently. “Oh, yes,” the woman responded sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to alarm you, but I suddenly remembered that it’s Monday morning trash day.” Her friend replied, “Trash day? Isn’t your husband at home?” “Yes,” replied the woman, “but it takes two of us to put out the trash. I can’t carry it, and he can’t remember it!” The secret of a good marriage lies in learning how to live and work together. And here are ten suggestions to help you accomplish that goal: (1) Agree to pray together daily. (2) Find something good to say about each other every day. (3) Don’t forget to snuggle. (4) Think of yourselves as a team – not just a couple. (5) Respect your differences. (6) Eat at least one meal together each day. (7) Submit your disagreements to God. (8) Develop a strong sense of humor. (9) Identify “your special place,” and “your special song.” (10) Reminisce together. Ironically, the number one reason given for divorce today is “incompatibility.” Well, guess what? You are supposed to be different! When two people with different gifts decide to love one another and listen to one another, their differences can become a source of strength rather than a source of weakness. Marriage: It takes two!
Soul food: Matt 5:9v; Rom 12:17-21; James 3:17-18; Matt 26:51-52
