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 Marriage
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Marriage Articles Angie and Frank talk About Headship and Submission
Irreconcilable Differences is a Hardened Heart
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Angie and Frank Talk About Headship and Submission
Loving Your Christian Spouse According to Christ’s Principles I bet you never thought that someone would show you how to love your
spouse? The fact is this is what God has shown His children; Heaven
Ministries is only an encourager to His Truths. And the truth is if we want to please God and do His will
in marriage then we should be willing to act on the moral lessons and
principles laid out in His Word, which is how Christ teaches us to love.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of these biblical principles for
having a blessed marriage. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to
live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble
and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every
effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:2-3) God has chosen us to be Christ’s servants and we
ought to be good examples of Christ in our calling. As a married woman our
calling is to love our husbands through our helpmeet service to him. As a
married man our calling is to provide, protect, and love our wives more
than we do ourselves. How are we being worthy of our calling if we do not
respect or care for the man or woman we married? People are always watching our lives as Christ Ones.
Young Christian people especially need to be encouraged in how they live
their lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Can people see Jesus Christ
working in you? Are you being a good moral example to the younger
generation who will someday get married? This is our calling as Christian
married people. “Then they can train the younger women to love
their husband and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at
home, to be kind, and subject to their husbands, so that no one will
malign the word of God.” (Titus 2:3-5) No one is EVER going to be perfect as long as they
live in their mortal bodies and this is why we must love our spouse in
spite of their faults. Some days we will not feel like being very loving,
but it is a principle of love that we do anyway. Marriage
takes sacrifice, just as Jesus sacrificed his life for ours, we must
sacrifice our life for the man or woman we married. Instead of focusing on what divides us, we should be
concentrating on what brings us unity with our spouse, which is the “one
flesh” of marriage. Are you making every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace in your marriage? “Whoever wants to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28) Husbands and wives are to SERVE one another in
marriage! Jesus described leadership as a means of serving others rather
than using others. In fact
Jesus mission was to serve others and to give his life away and THAT IS
the example Christians are to follow. Married
couples are to serve one another and sacrifice their lives for each other.
Not through death but through service. In what ways can you serve your
spouse? Irreconcilable Differences is the Hardened Heart Irreconcilable differences are a bureaucratic
term used in divorce proceedings describing a myriad of reasons why
couples divorce. The state grants divorce for couples because of hardened
hearts, which is the inability to reconcile differences. Actually everyone
has the ability to reconcile differences with their spouse but selfishness
stands in the way. He saith unto them, “Moses because of the
hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives, but from
the beginning it was not so. (Matthew 19:8) Jesus is explaining to the Pharisees why divorce was
ever approved. God did not grant divorce to couples, Moses did! God would
never approve divorce because he intends marriage to be for life! Most people jump into marriage based on strong
feelings and emotions rather than the principled actions to love. Let
love be without dissimulation (Romans 12:9) Jumping into marriage couples are wearing
rose-colored glasses and see their Prince Charming / Cinderella with
powerful feelings of desire. Once the desire wears off they suddenly see
the faults and weaknesses of their spouse, but because the strong feelings
of desire are gone, they are unable to reconcile with those faults and
weaknesses. Love must be sincere. (Romans 12:0) What about going into marriage prepared and
committed? Be willing to do whatever it takes to keep the marriage
fruitful and productive. Don’t jump into marriage based on feelings and
emotions only, go into marriage realizing you will have to practice
principled acts of love every single day of the marriage.
Realistically that’s what marriage takes! If you don’t think you can
do that then don’t get married. Please take the rose-colored glasses
off. Compromise or Hardened Heart? We all have faults, sins, and weaknesses before
marriage, so what changes after marriage? What changes is that couples
don’t want to accept one another and work on the marriage anymore—they
give up! For their own selfish reasons they stop giving of themselves in
the marriage, and as we all know, once that happens the marriage is
hopelessly doomed. Marriage is a give and take commitment that takes
sacrifices every single day! Compromise or hardened heart?
Are you still wearing those rosy colored glasses? Forgiveness or Hardened Heart? Forgiveness? What’s that? We all know what
forgiveness is, we just don’t practice it. It’s easier to be burdened
with an unforgiving heart than forgive. Forgiveness is difficult,
especially if you are hurting, but even if there is good reason to hold in
resentment and grudges it will kill your soul. Anyone who does not forgive
will become bitter and full of hatred. Forgiveness opens your heart to
loving others and if there is anyone you should be practicing to love, it
is the person God has blessed you with. Forgive and receive forgiveness
for yourself. Forgiveness or Hardened heart?
Those rosy spectacles are turning sweaty on your face. Boy it’s
hot! Respect or Hardened Heart? Respect is the greatest act of love that we can give
one another. It knows no boundaries. It is what keeps love alive and moves
the heart to be more for each other. The minute couples stop
respecting each other for the person they are, and their position in the
marriage, the minute the marriage will begin to go downhill, and fast! Honor
one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10) Where is the Understanding of God’s Purpose? So are you still wearing those rose-colored glasses?
Are you still unable to understand the purpose God has for YOU and your
marriage? We all know what
God wants for marriage, now we just need to turn that knowledge into
action! Turn your marriage into the relationship that God intends it to be
rather than what YOU think it should be. Understand and apply the loving principles and
actions that God has blessed you with into your marriage. Learn to
reconcile differences through those principles, and watch your marriage
become fruitful and abundant because it is now based upon the design God
meant for it. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,
serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11) Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)
Take care and God bless
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