Strengthening Our Marriages - Encouragement Café - September 4, 2015

Strengthening Our Marriages

Café Menu for Friday, September 4, 2015

Today’s Special is:  Do You Love Life and Want to See Good Days?

Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Jane McCaskill

Main Ingredient:

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.  For “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.  Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.”

1 Peter 3: 8-11 NKJV

Entrée:

It is so easy to allow the things of this world to pull me and my husband apart; time, work, chores, misunderstandings, the children, and often being too tired to care.  Things can separate us if we are not careful to continually stay in communication with each other throughout the day.  

Communication is the key to any relationship, especially our relationship with God.

In order to accomplish oneness like Scripture talks about, we as Christian men and women must be totally committed to each other and committed to making our marriages the best they can be.  God intended for us to be perfect in every way and have a perfect marriage.  

However, sin entered into this world and we take that sinful nature into our marriages as well.  But there are some things in this passage in Peter that we can consciously choose to do, in order to strengthen our marriages.

First, take the opportunity to communicate to your husband how much you love him and appreciate him.  Try using honest words of encouragement often.  By tearing him down and making him feel insignificant, we add injury to insult.  We must abstain from saying hurtful things and stay away from evil and devious words.  We must not rehash past mistakes; instead, we are to bless each other with words of peace and support.

Sometimes, we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we can only see that our needs are not being met or we believe that we are the only ones hurting.  We fail to see that we are indeed one as God intended in our marriage, and we are just hurting ourselves.  We do not want to neglect to be tenderhearted and compassionate toward the love of our life. 

Why do we so often pity ourselves and lash out, without thinking about the damage we are doing?

The glue that bonds a relationship together is humility and kindness.  Pride, all too often, melts that glue, making it irreparable.

Our responsibility as Christian women is to follow God’s plan.  He has laid out His plan for us to follow; to refrain from using our words to destroy our unity and our relationship with the one whom God has ordained as our partner in life. 

Blessing each other, will result in us receiving blessings.

Take Out:

This week, let’s encourage our husbands by giving them a compliment at least once a day.  Tell him he did a great job fixing the lawn mower; or praise him for being a good husband and providing for his family; or thank him for the little things he does. 

Try for one week to say only positive words to him instead of negative words. 

Dessert:

Father, I want to ask for all of us who long to have a life of peace and harmony in our marriages, would You bless us with the wisdom to follow Your Guidelines in Your Word.  Would You help us realize that only through Your Grace and Strength can we live in the fullness You desire for us? Fill us with Your Spirit, so that we will allow the words of our mouth and the intents of our hearts to be pleasing to You. Amen.

© 2015 by Jane McCaskill.  All rights reserved.

Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?  Pull up a chair… He’s been waiting for you.

Need a refill?  Please join us at the Encouragement Café with Luann and Friends. 

The conversation at the Café is always hot and fresh.  We invite you to listen inas we gather around the table to discuss everyday life.

Comfort food for your soul is always on our menu, and friends are always close enough to hug.  We invite you to join us daily, as our writer’s share how the Lord continues to transform them into His glorious image.

Still craving more…Join us as we grow together in grace and truth through our online bible study.

Stop by Encouragement Café and listen as the girls share life. Find podcasts, videos, Bible studies, prayer, resources and daily helpings of hope, laughter and friendship around our table. We've saved a seat just for you!