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#37: The Value Of Children
Psalm 128 One of the characteristics that distinguished the Jews from other people of the Bible was the value they placed on children. They had learned well Yahweh’s absolute prohibition of child sacrifice (Dt 12:31-32) and the importance he placed on teaching children to love and serve him (Dt 6:7-9). Jesus responded in anger to…
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#110: Relax A Little
Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life. (Ecclesiastes 9:9) We just love when we take our Monday off so that we can both relax and just enjoy one another’s company. These days feel like holidays to us. We don’t have to plan our day. We don’t need…
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#107: Patient Endurance of Another’s Humanness
Walk… with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)Tolerance relates to putting up with another person’s obvious humanness and bearing with his or her imperfections. To express tolerance demands setting aside a self-centred focus and adopting instead a God-centered perspective. God sees each of us as very different,…
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#103: Serving Each Other
We should serve in the newness of the Spirit. (Romans 7:6)Mutual giving is one of the goals we work for in our ministry with couples. As each marriage partner finds freedom and motivation to serve the other, intimacy follows. Caring for another during life’s endless demands is what having a servant heart is all about.…
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#102: To Beseech Another With Exhortation, Comfort & Care
I, therefore… beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. (Ephesians 4:1) Caring entreaty (an earnest and humble request of what really matters) helps give purpose and passion to life. It’s easy to fall into the barrenness of a busy life, thus faithfully addressing the tyranny (cruel and oppressive) of…
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#101: By The Nose Or Arm-In-Arm?
Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman. (1 Corinthians 11:3)Men like to joke about marriage. Some of the jokes are funny, but some are just plain cruel. One joke we frequently hear from men is referring to another man’s marriage as “a ring through the nose”.…
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#100: 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 business associate, or a family member – view you 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…
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#99: “Dates”, Common Interests, In Other Good Times
I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15) Friendship requires commitment to spend time together, enjoying one another’s company and finding common interests. Without that commitment, the friendship will never develop any real depth. Very late in Christ’s earthly ministry, He…
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#96: Liberty From Fear And Obligation
Live as free men… live as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)Giving freedom in marriage means we allow our spouse to be different from us, to be unique. Freedom means not dwelling on past hurts. It means not being fearful about the future, but being committed to living in the present. Freedom means learning to…
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#95: Protected By Wisdom From Above
Wisdom strengthens the wise. (Ecclesiastes 7:19) The psalmist speaks of our tendency to wander like a sheep, but he tells me that God’s wisdom protects me as I choose my steps. God’s wisdom protects me from straying as He gives me discernment for daily life. God sees it all – the big picture. He sees…
