• #85: Lifting Up Your Spouse As A Person Of Great Worth

    #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…

  • #84: Kind, Good-Natured, Caring

    #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.…

  • #83: Not-So-Great Expectations

    #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…

  • #82: Honoring Your Spouse’s Strengths

    #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…

  • #81: Healing The Hurt In Your Marriage (Part 4)

    #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…

  • #77: Meeting Emotional Needs In Marriage ( Part 12)

    #77: Meeting Emotional Needs In Marriage ( Part 12)

    10 Emotional Needs in Marriage 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,…

  • #36: WORDS (Part 10)

    #36: WORDS (Part 10)

    AFFIRMING THEIR LOOKSAffirming our children’s physical appearance from birth helps them to stop comparing themselves unfavourably with others, particularly during their teenage years. In affirming their looks, we are helping them to distinguish between what they can change and what they cannot. So we might well encourage children to wash their hair, or provide a…

  • #33: WORDS (Part 7)

    #33: WORDS (Part 7)

    WORDS OF PRAISE 3. Praising AchievementsOur aim should be to commend our children more often than we criticize them. But what if our children do not seem to excel in any arena? They are not athletic, they struggle with school work, and they have neither musical nor dramatic gifts. In this case our words of…

  • #28: WORDS (Part 2)

    #28: WORDS (Part 2)

    WORDS OF AFFECTION1. Expressing Our LoveThe three words “I love you” have great power. Parents need to speak frequently of their love from the earliest months of their children’s lives all the way through the teenage years. The words “I love you” might be part of the bedtime ritual when they are younger, or the…

  • #27: WORDS (Part 1)

    #27: WORDS (Part 1)

    As parents we can say things to our children that will affect how they think about themselves for the rest of their lives. Our words also have the power to crush. The way we talk to our children can become a habit – for good or bad. We can easily become fixated on our children’s…