Tag: god

A Wife’s Responsibilities

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Most couples enter into marriage with huge expectations of one another and the marriage itself. Some think that once you get married, love conquers all, and as long as you still love each other, everything will be just fine. That however is a bunch of lies sold to us by Hollywood. Marriage can be difficult but if we follow God’s rule book, we will find it to be easier than we anticipated. One of the most important rules God has for the wife is to submit to her husband. I know the women of today cringe when they hear the word submit, but let’s talk about what that means and doesn’t mean. Submission does not mean that the wife becomes a slave, it doesn’t mean that she is not allowed an opinion and it doesn’t mean that she becomes inferior to her husband. What submission looks like in a marriage, it is the wife’s responsibility to control her submission, not her husband’s, it is her responsibility to submit because God says it’s mandatory for her, and it involves her attitude as well as her actions. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Ephesians 5:22-23. God gives us rules to follow not only in marriage but also in our relationship with Him. The husband is responsible for his family and while the wife is to be submissive to him, he is to be submissive to God. To go against your husband is to go against God.

Another main role for the wife is for her primary ministry to be her husband. As we look back to the garden we see that God created woman FOR man. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Genesis 2:21-22. Adam needed a helper and Eve was specifically created for that reason. If wives aren’t there to encourage their husbands and help them stay on track with the Lord, who else will? Wives and husbands are also a team, so it benefits nobody if the two are constantly working against each other. Don’t let the devil get an inch of space in between you and your spouse.

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Don’t Lose Heart

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As each new year rings in, it is one more year that your marriage has continued to grow and mature. As married Christians we have the extraordinary honor of watching each other grow spiritually and watching our inner selves become more renewed day by day while our outer selves decay. How is it that both things can happen simultaneously? It’s an adventure in irony, made possible by the gospel, the only real treasure in our brittle jars of clay. From an earthly standpoint, as we age, our bodies are in worse shape than ever. Our minds are fading day by day, our bodies are failing us more and more, and it keeps on this trajectory until we go home to be with the Lord. Is there any comfort we can take in this irony? Paul says, For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Corinthians 4: 11-12.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Paul reminds us to not lose heart and that these troubles that we face are momentary. When you are dealing with troubles in your marriage, it doesn’t feel momentary, after all, aren’t you supposed to stay married until death do you part? Will the day come when God asks us to suffer with a spouse, to love and care for them through a trial?

Remember that even our trials in this life are momentary. Remember when Jesus was hanging on the cross listening to the two thieves on either side of Him? Finally one of them realizes who Jesus is, telling the other thief, We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:40-43.
Did you see that, Jesus knew His suffering was temporary and He and this man would both be in heaven shortly? The same is true for us. All the suffering of this life is only temporary and one day we will close our eyes and when we open them again we will be in the presence of the Lord. Marriage in this life is preparing us for the marriage we will be a part of in Heaven. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Our marriages here are an imperfect picture of what we are looking forward to enjoying in an eternal relationship with our savior. No matter what you are going through in your marriage, remember this earthly marriage is flawed and imperfect but one day Christ will return for His bride and we will have a wedding feast like no other. Along with an awesome wedding celebration, we will have a perfect marriage with Christ, so finish the race, don’t lose heart, and keep your eye on the prize (Jesus).

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The Betrayal of Sin

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As we talked about last week, we are born sinners and even when we want to do good, our sin nature always comes creeping back into our lives. But if we know that sin is bad and we want to live God-honoring lives, why do we keep letting sin back in? Sin is very sneaking, it’s alluring and it seems harmless at the time. We don’t go walking into a situation knowing all the consequences, we think everything will be fine and there will be no pain or destruction. Sin comes from Satan and he is crafty, deceitful and most of all wants us separated from God. Satan uses lies that tickle our ears and excite our flesh to convince us the sin he is dangling in our faces will not hurt us or anyone else whom we love. Jesus warns us about Satan when he says in John 8:44, You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Jesus is very straightforward about the devil because he is dangerous. Jesus warns us about the devil because He wants us to know how to stand guard against him, how to protect ourselves, and how to recognize a sinful temptation before it becomes a problem. Sin and all of its temptations can enter our marriages in the form of lusting after another man, coveting what our neighbor has, that we don’t, or being hard-hearted and choosing not to forgive.

Even though we battle sin every day in our relationships with our spouses, we must remember that the war has already been won. What would our battles look like if we fought from a place of victory rather than constantly feeling defeated? “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Jesus wants us to have peace, not to try to fight a battle that has already been won. We don’t want to focus our time and energy on that when we should be focusing our time and energy on spreading the gospel and looking more like Christ every day. Your enemy is not your spouse. Think of your spouse as a part of your platoon. Don’t injure your fellow soldiers with friendly fire, stay focused and keep your eyes on your real enemy, the Devil, and his schemes. We can help stay focused by staying in God’s word, remembering His promises to us, and testing the things that we see and hear. God loves you and wants to protect you from sin and its harmful consequences. Seek Him, listen to Him, and obey Him.

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