Actively looking for ways in which to serve your spouse will strengthen your relationship because it will make your eyes habitually more sensitive for opportunities to serve.
Marriage commitment
Strengthening Our Marriages
There is virtually nothing in life that a person can do without practice to become proficient. Whether it’s something as simple as reading to something as complex as playing a musical instrument, excellence requires practice.
A marriage is no different in that it also requires a level of dedication to continually practice key areas that are the backbone of the love in marriage: trust, intimacy, respect, grace and perseverance.
As a couple grows in trust, they’ll also build intimacy. And the more respect a a couple has for one another the more likely it is that they’ll extend grace to one another. Furthermore, growth in these areas, will not only strengthen a marriage, but it will also help couples be able to overcome difficult times.
What do you do to strengthen your marriage?
But First, Say I Love You
Occasionally in the hustle and bustle of everyday life couples can forget the seemingly small, insignificant stuff. However, there are three words that should, without a doubt be said multiple times a day to each other.
Saying “I love you” daily is good for yourself, your spouse and for your “woness.” So whatever you do, start and finish the day with these three important words.
Positivity Bears Positivity
I’m sure we can all point out at least five things about our spouses that are annoying. For instance, I sometimes cringe when I hear the sounds of cabinets being slammed in the kitchen. And my my dear wife really dislikes (to be gentle) the way I clean the kitchen and leave at least two items in the sink.
So let me encourage married couples to spend more time looking for the good. Your relationship, intimacy and love will all grow.
Thursday Marriage Tip
Husbands, tell your wife daily that you love her. This will make her feel special and wanted. Wives, tell your husband you appreciate him. This will make him feel appreciated and accomplished.
I Make This Vow
Last weekend , as my wife and I attended a wedding, I started reflecting on the topic of marriage vows in relation to God’s covenant with His children.
In the Bible, God made covenants with Noah, Abraham and Moses, to name a few. In each of these covenants, God made different promises which also required a certain response or conduct from His people. In other words, the covenants were an agreement in which God promised that He would deliver on specific blessings and in return, asked for faith, obedience and a commitment.
God makes the same kind of contracts with us today as couples look at each other’s eyes and embark on the path to “woness.” He put up the blood of His Son Jesus as collateral for our sins and in return only asks that we live a life of obedience. And as it relates to marriage specifically, God expects much from both husband and wife in the marriage relationship. In fact, in 1 Peter 3:7, after Peter laid out how a husband should care for and treat his wife, he added “so that you’re prayers are not hindered.”
Therefore my friends, it’s important to understand that the marriage vows are not only a promise that a couple makes to each other, but also a contract between that couple and God. And the exciting fact about this is that God longs to pour His blessings on a faithful marriage!
What’s Her’s Is Everything
It’s important to have fun in your marriage. Therefore, I wanted to share our new pillow covers.
I’m still trying to figure out how this fits with #twobecomingwon.
🤔😂
The Work Of Love
My wife and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary. This makes 21 years. I could add the term “Lucky 21,” but that would be misleading and incorrect. This wouldn’t be a term that applies to our marriage and shouldn’t apply to any marriage.
No, to reach 21 years of marriage takes much more than chance or luck. In fact, depending on luck would guarantee only failure. It takes work. The work involved in a marriage relationship, where two become “won,” requires grace, understanding and sacrifice.
Grace allows us to accept one another’s faults without condemnation. Understanding allows us to respect one another in spite of our imperfections. Through understanding, we also encourage each other to not settle in our mistakes. And by sacrificing we count the other more important than ourselves.
And all of these are bound by love. In love we work at grace, understanding and sacrifice. None of these exist without the framework of love.
I look forward to the next 21 years of loving my bride and becoming a better man.
Top 10 List For Newlyweds
As my wife and I prepared to attend a double wedding, I was given the task to sign the cards. As I thought about our wedding day and our first two years of marriage, I wanted to give the couples something that they could use and to which they could refer as a reference. So I came up with a Top 10 list of important items for newlyweds to remember that could strengthen their marriage.
So, here it is: Top 10 Things For Newlyweds To Remember:
10 You can’t say “I love you” enough
9. Kiss your spouse often, especially in the morning and at night.
8 No matter how busy you get, never stop having dates
7 “Don’t let the sun go down in your anger”
6 Husbands want to be respected
5. Wives want to be loved
4 Mutual sacrifice is the key to marriage. Care more about your “Woness” than about your individual selves
3. Remember 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient, Love is kind, Love never fails
2. Wives, should look to their husband to lead and husbands should lead by following Christ
1. Always Keep Jesus at the center of your marriage. Ecclesiastes 4:12
Do you have anything to add to this list?
Agape Love on Valentines
According to the National Retail Federation, U.S. consumers will spend just over $18 billion on valentines. This includes jewelry, flowers, cards and clothes.
Although there is nothing wrong with celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special gift for the special person in your life, there’s no doubt that as a society we can get caught up in the consumeristic aspect of the day. But if Valentine’s Day is truly about love, shouldn’t we focus on what kind of love should reflect this day? Or better put- shouldn’t this day reflect an overflow of the love that has been shared over the past year?
This day should be a reflection of a love that is selfless, giving, serving and patient. The ancient Greeks called this love- Agape love. This is the love that God has for His children. It’s an unconditional, no holds barred love. It’s the kind of love that is should grow when two become “won.”
This love is sacrificial, forgiving, patient and kind. It’s the kind of love that I strive to show my wife on a daily basis, though I may fail. It’s the kind of love we read about in 1 Corinthians 13. It’s the kind of love that Jesus has for us.
So today, let’s celebrate the love that we were shown on the cross. Let’s celebrate Agape love.
Two Becoming Won 