Marriage Devotional

23/10/2023

Never met outsiders influenced your marriage/relationship negatively.

24/02/2022

08/06/2021

https://thrivingmarriages.com/spouse-watches-p**n-now/?utm_source=ThrivingMarriages&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tm-&utm_content=button

Today's post involves a wife asking Juli Slattery @ Authentic Intimacy what she should do if her spouse watches p**n. A thought up front: Some statistics show 1 in 3 women regularly view p**nography, so

05/05/2021

https://thrivingmarriages.com/your-marriages-scratches-and-dents-are-what-make-it-priceless-heres-why/?utm_source=ThrivingMarriages&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tm-&utm_content=button

Mike and I recently attended a wedding. The bride was stunning, and the groom gleamed with pride. Not a dry eye in the place. Weddings are beautiful—not just because of the music, flowers, dresses, and

18/12/2020

All the glory of marriage shines in these simple words which describe God himself bringing the woman to the man. This is the justification for the married state, the supreme reason why “Marriage should be honoured by all” (Heb. 13:4), for marriage is ordained by God. The initiative is divine and provides the foundation for the relationship: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).

Herein lies the true source of satisfaction in marriage. The union is secure and permanent, because it is the work of God. Husband and wife are no longer two but one, because the Lord has joined them together, (Matt. 19:6). The joys of such a relationship - physical, mental and spiritual - come from his gracious hand. Husband and wife know they were made for one another. Together they see their children as “a heritage from the Lord” (Ps. 127:3).

This word from Genesis should shape the expectations of the unmarried. “A prudent wife (or husband) is from the Lord” (Prov. 19:14). Happy is the young man who looks to the Lord’s hand for such a gift; happy is the young woman who clasps that hand in order to be led to the man of his appointing.

Genesis 2:22 NLT
"Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man."

Daily Encouragement • Devotional

https://bible.com/reading-plans/619/day/2?segment=0

31/08/2020

Having good friends outside marriage isn't bad, but making your partner your best friend is better and safer.

29/08/2020

Marriage don't fail entirely because of one person.It takes two to make marriage work and two to make it fail

25/06/2020

While not impossible to recover from infidelity, the road back is long and painful.
Flee from all appearance of evil. You can!!

25/06/2020

DEVOTIONAL |
TOPIC: Jealous GOD | from Growing affair-Proof hedges | Familylife.com

There are few things as damaging as infidelity. It has destroyed marriages. It has caused parents to lose their children, pastors to lose their churches, and politicians to lose their jobs. While not impossible to recover from, the road back is long and painful.

As serious as it is, Paul’s statement in Ephesians 5:5-6 makes it clear that the consequences of sexual immorality are greater than we might think. He says those who are sexually immoral will not inherit the Kingdom of God. That is serious language. In our post-sexual revolution age, it may be hard to believe that God would actually deny us heaven because of a little sexual indiscretion, yet Paul makes it clear that He would: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

Sexual immorality is serious to God and more complex than we might think.

Those who are willing to risk everything in sexual sin can do so only after they have elevated the object of their desire higher than everything else–their spouse, their children, their careers, even God. In essence, their sexual desire becomes their idol, their god. This is why infidelity is so dangerous.

God is a jealous God. He doesn’t want any desire to be elevated above our desire for Him.

When Eve saw the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, she “… saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise …” (Genesis 3:6). She wanted it so badly that she didn’t care about the consequences. In that moment, fruit became more important to her than her husband, her relationship with God, and even her very life.

Instead of taking her desires to God and letting Him fill them, she tried to fulfill her desires herself. We do the same thing all the time.

Most affairs aren’t birthed out of a physical desire, but out of a longing for appreciation, respect, acceptance, or the desire to be pursued. Instead of taking these desires to God, we look for ways to satisfy them ourselves. The good news is that God can satisfy all of these longings if we let Him. He also has granted us a pure and holy outlet for sexual fulfillment within marriage.

If you feel temptation beginning to brew inside you, recognize it as an idol attempting to be born, and bring it to God in prayer.

Pray: Lord, I know Your Word says that You are a jealous God. Examine my heart and help me to find my satisfaction in You alone. Help me to eradicate any idol that seeks to take Your place in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For more help on this topic listen to, “Growing Affair-Proof Hedges” on FamilyLifeToday.com.

16/06/2020

THANKFUL SPIRIT | Marriage Devotional | Familylife.com
Building a Goldy Marriage | Online study

I had fully intended on clearing the sink of dishes, but after washing the two big pans I got distracted. Later that evening, lying in bed, my wife turned to me and said, “About the dishes …”

Uh oh, I thought. I completely forgot to finish them! My mind immediately began to race. What had I been doing? Why had I gotten distracted? I needed to come up with an excuse—fast.

I had just begun to form my defense when she said, “Thank you for scrubbing the big ones. They’re heavy, and I really appreciated you taking care of them.”

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

In marriage, a spirit of thanksgiving can make a huge difference. What you focus on most is what you’ll notice most.

If you give thanks for your spouse’s efforts at provision, then you begin to notice efforts at provision that you once overlooked. If you give thanks for your spouse’s efforts at cleaning, you begin to notice examples that you never saw before.

Focusing on the negative can have the opposite effect. The more we complain, the more evidence we find to justify our complaints. This breeds disappointment and bitterness and often spills out in the form of crude jokes, curses, insults, and sarcasm.

Unfortunately, it is not always easy to focus on the positive.

My wife and I have different ways of viewing time. To me, 15 minutes early is on time. To her, two or three minutes late is no big deal. This has caused much friction in our marriage over the years.

One day, as I was sitting in my car fuming because she wasn’t ready, I realized I should shift my focus. I began praying for my wife and thanking God for making her the perfect companion for me. As I did, I began to realize why she is usually late. God gifted her with a deep desire to take care of the needs of others. While I was sitting in my car judging her, she was preparing a bag with snacks she thought I might appreciate later that afternoon.

On my own, I would have never realized this. But by tapping into God’s mysterious power, I was able to appreciate her thoughtfulness.

Next time you find yourself wanting to complain about your spouse, try thanking God for your spouse instead. You may be surprised by what you notice next.

Pray: Lord, I confess that I am often faster to complain than I am to thank. Help me to appreciate my spouse as Your perfect gift to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For more on thankfulness read, “Gratitude is a Choice” by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth on FamilyLife.com.

Because every home matters, FamilyLife provides biblical, practical help for everyday life. Helping one marriage, one family, one home at a time.

02/06/2020

DEVOTIONAL | A New Order | Leave and Cleave

Reference
Family life.com

As the first notes of the “Wedding March” begin to play, father and daughter share a lingering look and try to contain the torrent of emotions swelling up inside.

The tradition of a father walking his daughter down the aisle is often a poignant moment in the wedding ceremony. Each step brings the bride closer to a beginning, and the father closer to an end. One handshake later, and the girl the father has protected and loved since birth is given over to another man.

The tradition is meant to show that a new family unit is being created, one with new priorities and loyalties. In a single moment, Daddy’s little girl becomes someone’s wife and everything changes.

When you marry, your spouse becomes your most important earthly relationship. For many couples, it’s difficult to find the “oneness” they long for because they’ve never reordered their relational priorities after marriage. Often, this happens because they continue to rely on their parents for assistance with housing, bills, vacations, and emotional support. This almost happened to us.

Three months before we got married, I was laid off from my job. With our income slashed, we had to pull back from our search for an apartment to live in after the wedding.

Thankfully, I thought, my parents owned an apartment building. But when I explained our situation to my mother, she shocked me by saying she would not allow us to move into their building. Furthermore, she said that after the wedding she didn’t want me to complain to her if my wife and I ever had a fight.

How could a strong Christian woman respond to her son like that? It was a mystery to me. It felt like the most unloving thing she could have ever done, but in the end, it turned out to be a blessing.

My mother understood the experience would force me to leave my father and mother and hold fast to my wife (Ephesians 5:31). It forced us to work together in ways we never had. My wife-to-be helped me consider new positions and the implications they would have on our life together. When I ultimately found a job, the victory was ours.

Establishing a new household can be painful, but leaving your parents is not a rejection of your past. Rather, it is as an acceptance of your new role as a husband or wife.

Pray: Lord, You said a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Show me how to prioritize the needs of my spouse yet still show honor to my parents. In Jesus’ name, Amen

For more on leaving father and mother listen to, “Leave and Cleave” on FamilyLife.com.

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