Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts

Marriage Assessment

Thursday, April 19~



I'm almost always in a book or Bible study of some sort. Right now we're reading one of Lysa TerKeurst's. She wrote this fantastic marriage relationship inventory that really grabbed my attention! I have to share it.



1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Assessment



Am I patient with my spouse? (I am flexible and understanding.) EPHESIANS 4:2-3



Am I kind to my spouse? (I am kind in thought, words, and actions toward them.) EPHESIANS 4:31-32



Am I supportive (not envious) with my spouse? (I do not keep score when I feel I do more.) JAMES 3:16-18



Am I encouraging (not boastful) to my spouse? (I do not brag about my accomplishments while downplaying theirs.) HEBREWS 3:13



Am I humble (not proud) with my spouse? (I do not think my agenda is more important than my spouse’s agenda.) 1 PETER 5:6



Am I gracious (not rude) to my spouse? (I build up my spouse with my words spoken in private and public.) EPHESIANS 4:29



Am I selfless (not self-seeking) with my spouse? (I focus on my spouse’s needs and wants and balance them with my own.) PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4



Am I self-controlled (not easily angered) with my spouse? (I do not have a short fuse or quick temper.) PROVERBS 15:1



Am I able to forgive and let go (keeping no record of wrongs) with my spouse’s shortcomings? (I do not use my spouse’s past shortcomings as ammunition in today’s disagreements or allow these things to taint our communication today.) COLOSSIANS3:12-14



Do I delight in being faithful to God (not delighting in evil)? (I seek to live a pure life and choose not to flirt with sin.) EPHESIANS 4:1



Do I rejoice with the truth? (I actively pursue God’s truth over Satan’s lies.) JOHN 8:31-32



Do I seek to protect my spouse? (I fill in the gaps where they feel weak and
vulnerable.) 1 THESSALONIANS 5:11



Do I trust my spouse? (I give my spouse the benefit of the doubt.) 1 PETER 3:8



Do I keep hope alive in my marriage? (I trust God with “our” future, not “my” future.) JEREMIAH 29:11



Do I persevere in my marriage? (I look for solutions to problems rather than look for a way out.) MATTHEW 5:33



Am I devoted to the permanence of our marriage? (I believe that divorce is not an option for us.) MALACHI 2:16

In the scramble of handling all the details of a life full of little people, romance and love can sometimes take a backseat. We have to not only be intentional with our active love, but also be intentional about keeping our love fresh, exciting, and fun. You can’t compare your circumstances and relationship with others; that will only serve to drain and discourage you.
Keep your focus on making your marriage the best it can be. It is what you put into your marriage that you’ll be able to pull out of your marriage. The grass isn’t greener on the other side; it is greener where you water and fertilize it. -Lysa TerKeurst

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Children, not Slaves

Wednesday, April 11, 2012~

Horse planter from TheRiCharmedLife.Etsy.com

I'm re-reading some verses from last week's book study and keep going back to this passage. It resounds with me in a strong way. I think it's the part about being God's children, not His fearful slaves that really touches my heart.

Romans 8:14-17 (NLT)
     For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

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Easter Sunday

from Sunday, April 8, 2012~



   Happy Easter! We spent the morning at church, the afternoon and evening with family. Julian got three Easter baskets and spent hours in the pool so he's pretty into that side of Easter. On the spiritual side of things, our object lesson was well received.

   So this is the last day that I'll be talking about the Easter celebration. It's the culmination of the story, the week, the everything. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the third day after the crucifixion.* Our church does two services. The only difference between the two is the music: the earlier service is hymns, the later, more modern songs. We do read scripture and do responsive readings. The sermon focus is always related to the resurrection of Christ. Between the services we do a casual, brunch style breakfast. The rest of the day is spent with loved ones.

*Here's a summary of what we believe happened using Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-21:25. Following the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea had Christ's body placed in his own tomb. A large stone covered the entrance and soldiers guarded the sealed tomb. On the third day, after the Sabbath was over, several women who were followers of Jesus went to the tomb at dawn to anoint the body of Jesus according to Jewish traditions of the time. Now sometime the night before or early that morning a violent earthquake took place as an angel rolled back the stone. The guards were paralyzed with fear, but when they recovered, they ran away. The angel announced to the women that Jesus who was crucified was no longer in the grave and said to them, "He is risen, just as He said." Then he instructed the women to inspect the tomb and see for themselves. He then told them to go inform the disciples.
As they were running to obey the angel's command, suddenly Jesus himself met them on their way. They fell at his feet and worshiped him. Jesus then said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me." When the guards reported what had happened to the chief priests, they bribed the soldiers with a large sum of money, telling them to lie and say that the disciples had stolen the body in the night.

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