Stay Gold

Romans 6:22

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

 

 

Think about a piece of gold. Did you know it goes through a refining process? With fire, the gold is heated to extremely high temperatures to remove any impurities and anything that is left over is pure. Pure solid gold.

The same can be said with our marriage. We will go through fires, have hardships, many trials and tests. Many things may cause an inner conflict as we learn to let go of our old ways and working through God’s ways. But we don’t have to do it alone. The Holy Spirit was sent to comfort you, help and sanctify you. As you go through the changes, you will become redefined, holy and pure.

Marriage isn’t designed to make you happy by just fulfilling your needs. It is to make you holy by refining you through transformation.

Now you’re a wife. You are committed to your husband. You are no longer single so the selfishness we once had is to be turned around and directed to serve, respect, and love your husband. The many different seasons of you marriage will lead you to refinement if you choose to accept your marriage as a way for God to transform you. The choice to embrace God’s way will always be up to you. And it will always begin by submitting yourself to Him.

Date: 06-30-14

What is God teaching you?
Questions:

1. In what ways are you set apart as a wife?

2. Currently, what transformations are you experiencing as a wife?

3. Knowing that the trials you face together have the potential to produce transformation in your marriage, how can you respond differently to your husband?

Friday Night

Every Friday night, my husband and I have date night. We take a few hours after work to just be together. We sometimes go out to dinner and movie, do a little shopping, or sometimes we just stay at home cook dinner and watch whatever series we are hooked on at the time. This doesn’t happen every Friday because we do have other things that come up and we have to change it to Saturday night or Sunday after church. No matter what day it may be, it’s the fact that we make that time together. Peyton is usually with one of our parents or with a friend of ours. So there’s no running around trying to keep up with her. We also limit our phone usage. So there’s not that distraction.

We started this date night routine when Peyton was very young. We knew that as she got older that things would get crazier and we would always be busy. Since then, we have strived to make sure once a week (sometimes every other week) we take a few hours together. I can’t even begin to explain the wonders that it does for our marriage. It’s something you will just have to experience yourself.

So, find someone to watch the kids and plan a date. Make tonight date night. And if you can, make every Friday date night. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant if you are on a tight budget. Rent a movie, borrow one from a friend, cook something you both like, and mainly HAVE FUN! I promise you will love it.

Do you already have date night? How do you spend date night? Comment below and share with other couples reading this!

On Display

[I decided to take a break from the Wives After God study and show you a little piece of my home and some thoughts on scripture.]

 

One thing that I think is very important in our walk with Christ is spending time with Him. Setting some time aside each day to get to know Him, read His word, talk to Him and listen to what He is trying to tell us. I know that life is really busy most of the time and not everyone sets aside that time. However, I do think we should always try for even a few minutes with Him. You wouldn’t want to miss out on time that you could be spending with your spouse. We should feel the same way about spending time with God.

When I go through different seasons of my life, God always gives me a verse and it helps me through that time in life. For instance, one verse that stuck out to me what John 16:33 “I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But that heart; I have overcome the world.” And that verse helped me go through a lot of times during that season.

 like to write that scripture or place it somewhere that I will see it daily. Like writing on my bathroom mirror, having it on my desktop at work, my background on my phone. Just to have a daily reminder of that verse that God has given me. Another way I like to display scripture in my home is to get the vinyl letters and put it on the wall. You can usually purchase them anywhere like target, hobby lobby, or Walmart.  Currently this is what is in our upstairs bathroom.

 

Just so we can both have a daily reminder to love everyone as Christ does. No matter how they look, how they act, what they've done, or said.

How do you display scripture? How do you show it as a daily reminder? Comment below and let me know!

When Troubles Arise

Romans 5:18-19

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

 

Adam and Eve sinned when they ate the forbidden fruit. And by doing so, they broke that intimate bond with God. Still, God never left them. There was just conflict in their relationship because of the sin. When God sent His son to die on the cross and once the task was finished, God reconciled the relationship with man. This one act gives everyone the opportunity to have that intimate relationship with God and spending eternity with Him.

“Reconciliation redeems relationships, restoring harmony, peace and agreement.”
We are all called to reconcile with everyone, including your marriage. In marriage, we are called to extend and over extend God’s amazing grace to our husband and showing God’s love no matter what the situation entails.

God has forgiven you and you are to forgive your husband in that same manor. We must restore that harmony, peace and agreement in our marriage. A good way to think about it is that God didn’t wait for an apology from you or me before giving Himself up to make things right. He acted first. And as a wife, we have the same chance to experience the same opportunity to reconcile with our husband and restore that relationship at any sign of trouble or sin. Is it going to be easy? No. Not at all. Your pride is going to try to take over at times and reasoning will try to justify fairness.  But we must fight our flesh as Jesus did for that reconciliation. Then the best part, your marriage will thrive with true intimacy.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

 

Your challenge for today: Next time there is a disagreement between you and your spouse, or even a past offense, initiate reconciliation.

Date: 06-24-14

What is God teaching you?
Questions:

1. How did God reconcile the world to Himself?

2. During an argument, what keeps you from mending your relationship with your husband?

3. How can you show reconciliation in your marriage?

4. Unconditionally, how can you show your husband that you love him?

Life Changing Love

I want you to stop and think a minute about the death of Jesus. I want you to think about all that He suffered, all that He went through. From the beating to the mocking to the nailing on the cross to the final stab in the side.

Can you imagine what pain He went through? We fuss and complain when we get a small paper cut. But to be beaten? Mocked? Nailed to a cross? That must have been the most painful death. And why did He do it? For us. For our sins.

And He didn’t have to.

No one forced Him. No one held a sword to His neck and tell Him that He had to die for us. No. He willingly gave up His life. For you. For me. That is true, unconditional, selfless love. He loves us.

Knowing that someone would do that for you no matter how you respond to Him shows nothing but complete love. That kind of love is life changing. That kind of love changes marriages. You have the chance to show that same unconditional, selfless love to your husband, whether he deserves it or not. I’m not saying go out and die right now for your husband. But I am saying that you can go through anything with your spouse because of the unconditional love. By doing this, you will be showing God’s love story to the world.

Date: 06-23-14

What is God teaching you?
Questions:

1. What are 3 ways that Jesus was the perfect example for how you should love your husband?

2. When your husband doesn't deserve it, where can you find that strength and motivation to love him?

3. What tempts you to hold back some of that love from your husband?

4. Unconditionally, how can you show your husband that you love him?