Volume 2Number 15ENGAGEDApril 10 - 16 Day 5 Husband, love you r wife. Wife, respect yourhusband. A man’s greatest nee d is re spect. A woman’s greatest need is love. Men never naturall y love women the w ay women want to be loved. Men love women the w ay men want to be loved. Women never naturally respect men the way men want to be respected. Women love men t he way women w ant to be loved. Men underestimate how much women need love. Women underestimate how much men need respect. What happens when love and respect aren’t present? Without love wives react without respect. Without respect husba nds react without love. What can you do in y our marriage to prevent the ‘crazy love cycle’? Today, consider the picture your marriage is giving the world of Christ’s love for His people, and for the world. Does your marriag e accurately portray that love? Is your love sacrifi cial? Is it unconditional? Is it seeking the g ood of yourbeloved? Is it steady, patient and without sus picion? Ask God today to help you love in these ways, as He has shown His love to you. The creation story tells of God’s plan that husband and wife should be ONE (Gen. 2:24), and Jesus also referred to this plan in (Matthew 19:4-6). Again, take time as a family and go back and read Ephesians 5:1-33, Genesis 2, and Matthew 19. Day 4 Believe it or not, the conflict of marriage is synonymous with the beauty of marriage. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Here we go again… today’s thoughts are going be about conflict resolution and issues again,’ but I promise, it is not ! Marriage is distinct because scripture lets us know that this union is greater than our union with our children and even greater than our union with our parents. The union of marriage is only second to our relationship with Christ and this means that this is delicate, special and precious and that we should invest a lot of time in uncovering God’s will in this relationship. What makes marriage difficult is what makes it unique and beautiful . Please, think and elaborate about this with someone. Today, make it your goal to make progress in loving your spouse, as Christ lov es us. Do one thing that you think you wouldn’t have done if you were not trying to imitate Jesus in His love for us. PROGRESS is your goal today! Oneness in marriage does not mean losing your personality in the personality of the other. Instead, it means caring for your spouse as you care for yourself, learning to anticipate the other person’s needs, helping the other person become all he orshe can be. As a family, disc uss how we can help each other become all we can be, through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 5:32-33 “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects ” through
husband. A man’s greatest need is respect. Awoman’s greatest need is love. Men never naturallylove women the way women want to be loved. Menlove women the way men want to be loved. Womennever naturally respect men the way men want to berespected. Women love men the way women want to
be loved. Men underestimate how much womenneed love. Women underestimate how much menneed respect. What happens when love andrespect aren’t present? Without love wives reactwithout respect. Without respect husbands reactwithout love. What can you do in your marriage toprevent the ‘crazy love cycle’?
Today, consider the picture your marriage isgiving the world of Christ’s love for His people, andfor the world. Does your marriage accurately portraythat love? Is your love sacrificial? Is itunconditional? Is it seeking the good of your beloved? Is it steady, patient and without suspicion?Ask God today to help you love in these ways, as Hehas shown His love to you.
The creation story tells of God’s plan thathusband and wife should be ONE (Gen. 2:24), andJesus also referred to this plan in (Matthew 19:4-6).Again, take time as a family and go back and readEphesians 5:1-33, Genesis 2, and Matthew 19.
Day 4Believe it or not, the conflict of marriage is
synonymous with the beauty of marriage. I knowwhat you’re thinking, ‘Here we go again… today’sthoughts are going be about conflict resolution andissues again,’ but I promise, it is not! Marriage isdistinct because scripture lets us know that thisunion is greater than our union with our children andeven greater than our union with our parents. Theunion of marriage is only second to our relationshipwith Christ and this means that this is delicate,special and precious and that we should invest a lotof time in uncovering God’s will in this relationship.What makes marriage difficult is what makes itunique and beautiful. Please, think and elaborateabout this with someone.
Today, make it your goal to make progress inloving your spouse, as Christ loves us. Do one thingthat you think you wouldn’t have done if you were nottrying to imitate Jesus in His love for us.PROGRESS is your goal today!
Oneness in marriage does not mean losingyour personality in the personality of the other.Instead, it means caring for your spouse as you carefor yourself, learning to anticipate the other person’sneeds, helping the other person become all he or she can be. As a family, discuss how we can helpeach other become all we can be, through ChristJesus.
Ephesians 5:32-33“This is a great mystery, but I speak concerningChrist and the church. Nevertheless let eachone of you in particular so love his own wife ashimself, and let the wife see that she respects
Fella’s, the question you should ask isnot, "Do I treat my wife well and get along withher at least better than most?" No, the question isthis: "Did I behave toward my wife as Christbehaves towards the church?" Ladies, thequestion you ask yourself is not: "Am I nice andhelpful to my husband? Do I measure up as a
pretty good wife compared to other wives?" No,this is the question: "Do I live with my husband asthe church is called to live with Christ?" If youare not currently married, these are the primaryquestions that are to be asked daily of yourself.By the way, it is one thing to ask yourself these
questions; but, how would your spouse answer them for you?
Today, read again in Philippians 2:1-8how Jesus approached relationships. Thencompare it to how you approach your relationshipwith your spouse. Is your attitude like Jesus inthis respect? Are you letting His mind becomeyours? If you are not married, are you lettingChrist’s attitude shape the way you interact withother people in your realm of influence?
Just as the husband and the wife are tobe joined together as one (Gen. 2:24), so Christand the church are united as one. For thisreason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become
one flesh. Genesis 2:24
Day 2This passage does not only lay out for us the
ideal of marriage, it is also very important for us, evenafter we are married. We can only live pleasing toGod in marriage, if, in each day we set this before us,before our mind's eye, before our faith, that we mustlive as an example of Christ and the church. Our marriages, then, must be an example of godliness for
our children and young people to follow after us. So,even if you have been married for twenty or thirtyyears, with most of your married life now behind you,it is still as important today as the first day of your married life, that you strive to reflect this divinepattern. Who are you reflecting your marriage upon?Please, make sure you are producing a proper imagefor the next generation of marriages. In fact, pullanother younger married couple alongside of yoursand invest in them. Identify a couple you could buildinto. Then pursue it!!!!
Compare what Ephesians 5 says abouthusband/wife roles with what a modern day talk showmay say about them. Do you have a hard time being“biblical” rather than “cultural” in your approach toyour marital relationship? Do you think the voice of God has been dulled by the attitude of the worldtoward gender relationships, and husband/wife roles?
As Christ demonstrates his love for thechurch and believers respond by showing their lovefor him, it is similar to the deepening intimacy thatexists between a husband and wife. As a family,discuss how we can show our love for Christ.
Day 3Your marriage can only be pleasing to
God if it is based on an understanding in your heart of the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ andHis church. If you are not clear about therelationship of Christ and the church, of Christ'sunion to the church and the churches to Christ,then you simply cannot understand marriage.
That means that the proper study of a husbandand of a wife is not, first of all, all kinds of bookson solutions to marital problems. The proper study of a wife is not, first of all, her husband; or of the husband, his wife. But the proper study of those who are married and those who areintending to marry, is Christ and the church. Youwill learn to live with your spouse, not if you havegraduated from a course on social humanrelationships and hold a master's degree in thesethings, but if you, as a Believer, know Christ andHis church.
How much does your love for your spouse (or for other people, if you are single)look like Christ’s love for the church? Look atEphesians 5:25. Is Christ’s love for the churchour model, or is it an unattainable goal? Doesthe difficulty of the task remove our responsibilityto pursue it?
The union of husband and wife mergestwo persons in such a way that little can affect
