Marriages of Faith
It is obvious that the sanctity of marriage is under a great
deal of attack in our society. As Christian women,
wives, and mothers we must do everything we can to prevent our
marriage from becoming a statistic. We must stand up against the
enemy and take back marriage! The Church should NOT have the same or
higher divorce rates than the world. We are the Light of the world. We
are the only Bible many people read.
I pray for your marriage and mine. Please, use these resources
to help strengthen your marriage, save your marriage, or even
prevent divorce from creeping into your marriage. I don't mean
to get so passionate...I'm just sick
and tired of reading, seeing, and hearing about divorce.
God Bless you and your marriage.
Featured Marriage of Faith Devotional:
Don't Rot the Man's Bones!
A virtuous and worthy wife is a crowning joy to her husband, but
she who makes him ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. -
Proverbs 12:4
First, let us look deeper into some of the key words in this powerful
Scripture.
Virtuous - Chayil (khah'
- yil) and means; a force, an army, strength,
able, substance, worthy.
Crown - atar (aw-tar')
and means; encircle, crown, compass
Ashamed - buwsh (boosh)
and means; to make disappointed, put to shame,
confound, become dry, to contradict or refute, to bring ruin.
I think many times, as wives, we do not really take the time to
truly understand the role we play in the lives of our husbands. God did
not put the man at the head because He thought less of the woman. He
loves us the same. However, He needed to create an atmosphere of order
in the home. So, He Chose the man to lead and the woman to submit and
follow.
However, with the role we have as wives, there is an incredible
responsibility that in most cases is missed. It is often missed because
as women we can not get past the word "submit," and the annoyance that
word brings!
Look at this Scripture though.
Hmmm...
We are a force in our husband's life. Let me share the Scripture with
you now that we have clarity on some of the words used in it...
A strong, able, and worthy woman is a crowning
compass of joy to her husband, but she who makes him shamed,
disappointed, and contradicts him is a rottenness to his bones.
WOW! We are a HUGE influence in our husband's life.
And, when we do not step into our roles as wives properly, we are a
hindrance to our husbands. We are a bad influence. When we argue, fight,
refuse to submit, boss, verbally bash privately or publicly, disrespect,
and treat our husband in any way that is out of alignment with God's
Word, we are hurting them. We are ROTTING THEIR BONES!
Hey, I did not write the Word. God inspired men what to write. God made
sure that we all know everything we need to live happy, peaceful, and
joy-filled lives. His Word does not adapt itself with the times. His
Word does not change to fit our needs or the culture. It just IS. We all
have choices...we can obey and be blessed or we can disobey and bring
ruin to ourselves and our husbands.
Benefits of obedience:
- blessings
- allows God to WORK in our husband's life and heart
- helps our husband BE what God created him to be
- trains our children to be God obeyers NOT the cultures lackey
What does the fruit of Disobedience Bring?
- a ruined husband with rotten bones
- divorce
- hindrance or our husbands spiritual walk
- trains our children to life selfish worldly lives
To put it bluntly, we need to stop waiting for our husband's to
fulfill OUR needs and OBEY what God wants US to do as wives. NOT based
on the performance of our husbands. We need to DO what God says to do
BECAUSE God SAID it and HE knows best!
When we let go of what we want and do what God wants, then and ONLY then
will we truly have all that God wants us to have. Then and ONLY then
will God actually have the room and ability to WORK in our husbands
hearts and help our marriages.
We cannot go on expecting God to change them and we are not even willing
to do what God has said to do!
Let's Pray;
Daddy God, please forgive me for being a selfish wife. Please
forgive me for unrealistic expectations, and expecting my husband to
fulfill my needs. Help me to turn to You and allow You to be my source
for everything. Please forgive me for being stubborn and expecting my
husband to change before I will. Help me to love him. Help me to obey
You and what You want regardless of my husband's behavior. Help me to
NOT be a rottenness to his bones. Help me to be a crowning joy to him
that helps him to be all that You created him to be. Help me to love him
unselfishly. Show me how I can honor, encourage, and delight my husband.
Thank You for Your Word, Lord. Thank You for not changing with the
times. Thank You for being the same yesterday, today, and forever. Help
me to be consistent in all I do. Praise You Lord. You are worthy of my
obedience, love, and worship. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus Mighty
Life Giving Name. Amen!
Your Homework:
Study the following Scriptures:
* Proverbs 14:1
* Proverbs 15:1-4
* Proverbs 16:7
* Luke 6:41-42
* 1 Corinthians 13
* 1 John 4:7-21
Memorize: Be gentle and forbearing with one
another, and if one has a grievance against another, readily pardon each
other; even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you also
forgive. - Colossians 3:13
Application: If you really want a happy,
healthy, GOD pleasing marriage, then you must begin to look inward and
not at your husband. Take an inventory of your thought life, how you
think and speak about your husband, repent, and begin to seek God about
how YOU should change.
Copyright © Lara Velez
In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)
Note: All Scripture is taken from
the Amplified Bible, unless otherwise stated. Also, the Webster's
dictionary, Random House Thesaurus, Strong's Concordance, and/or The
Complete New Testament Word Study may have been used.
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