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#92: Harmony Based On Knowing Another
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)Many couples live with conflict and emotional discord. We need to earnestly pray that the Prince of Peace would rule and reign in our household. Let us desire that our marriage and our family to reflect the beauty of…
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#91: Green-Stamp Service
With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men. (Ephesians 6:7)Have we ever found ourselves “green stamping” our spouse? By that I mean doing something for him/her while internally deciding that they are owed for our “act of service.” Let us be honest in admitting that we do that at times.…
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#90: Prayer Helps Heal Hurts
Pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:16)There may be no more powerful healing tool for relationships than prayer. Amid every argument in marriage, couples can find common ground in yielding prayer: “not my will, but Yours be done”. (Luke 22:42) There’s an important healing message as two agree in prayer, declaring…
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#89: Giving Yourself Up
Christ Jesus… did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation… coming in the likeness of men. (Philip 2:5-7) I am glad Christ didn’t selfishly hold on to heaven. I’m glad He deferred to my world and my needs, thinking them more important than His own. True deference…
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#88: Stinkin’ Thinkin’
The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands. (Proverbs 14:1) We’ve all heard the saying “if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. It’s seen to be true in many homes. When the momma is critical, or when she tears other people down with her words, we can see…
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#85: Lifting Up Your Spouse As A Person Of Great Worth
He who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11)It feels great to have someone – a friend, a co-worker, or a family member – view us as a person of great worth. To have such a promise of exaltation from the Lord is tremendous. But to be valued as important by one’s spouse may be…
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#84: Kind, Good-Natured, Caring
Be completely humble and gentle. Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)Gentleness in marriage means treating my spouse according to her inherent worth as declared by our Saviour. It means talking in a way that is free from rudeness or abruptness. Gentleness means being considerate of my spouse’s feelings and preferences. It means being free from roughness or harshness.…
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#83: Not-So-Great Expectations
Give preference to one another in honor. Romans 12:10 (NASB) “I expect you to love me!”“I expect you to listen to me when I’m speaking.” Nasty word – “expect”. Have we ever stopped for a minute to examine what it implies?When we say “I expect” we are basically saying that we are owed a specific…
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#82: Honoring Your Spouse’s Strengths
Let marriage be held in honor. (Hebrews 13:4 NASB)Over the years we come to appreciate character qualities in our spouse – those strengths within them that bless us and others. For example, they are very supportive and loyal to us. They are convincingly diligent about getting tasks completed. They are discerning and insightful, truthful and…
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#81: Healing The Hurt In Your Marriage (Part 4)
Beyond Discouragement, Anger and Resentment to Forgiveness Last week we looked at The Open Loop of Conflict. This week we will be looking at the second and third aspects. The Fork in the RoadWhenever an offense opens a loop in our relationship, we have a choice. We can decide to do what is needed to…
