This morning I turn my focus to the upcoming Valentine’s Day event. Yes, I know it is a “made-up” holiday with a heavy dose of materialism behind it. HOWEVER, it is also a great time to FOCUS on what is the most important relationship on earth for those of us who are married, want to marry, or who influence others who are married!
We get married and assume the glue from the wedding day and honeymoon will hold the ship together for 50-70 years. It won’t. It takes falling in love again over and over, through focused pursuit, diligent selflessness, and total faith in God. It is then that you get to enjoy living in the realm of the miraculous–a joyful, loving marriage.
OK, so things may not look that rosy at the moment. I’ve reprinted this short, to-the-point article from Pastor Ed Young. He will keep you interested, smiling, and sometimes a bit shocked. But he gets his point across. Read ‘em and keep ‘em (so I won’t have to help you limp back to the starting line this year)!
7 Steps to a SucSEXful Marriage!
From Pastor Ed Young’s Blog, http://www.edyoungblog.com/7-steps-to-a-sucsexful-marriage.html Posted: Friday, February 10th, 2012 @ 12:01 pm
A great marriage doesn’t just happen. It takes purpose and intentionality. Here are 7 steps that will help you reach the level God has in store for your marriage!
- Have A Spouse Centric Relationship! The most important earthly relationship you have is with your spouse. Husbands, put your wife first. Wives, put your husband first. Yes, even above the kids. Because remember…kids leave and spouses stay!
- Have Regular Date Night/Mate Nights When you have a regular time that you can get away as a couple, even for a few hours, it’s like an oasis in the middle of the desert!
- Remember Special Occasions And Keep Them Holy Throughout Scripture, God challenges his people to remember what he has done for them. Remember those times in your marriage that are special to you…and celebrate them together!
- Speak About Your Spouse With Words Of Honor! Proverbs 25:11, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
- Install A Purification System Set ground rules and guardrails that ensure you won’t go over the edge and the ledge of compromise. For example, Lisa and I have developed our own “10 Commandments of Purity”. Write yours out together and commit to keeping your marriage pure.
- Satisfy Your Spouse Sexually The Bible challenges us to satisfy our spouses regularly, not to neglect them (1 Corinthians 7:5). Be intentional about meeting your spouse’s sexual needs. Marriage should be a needs-meeting contest!
- Crash Through Quitting Points – Every marriage has those times when you want to quit. But don’t base your marriage on feelings. Commit your way…see your covenant to your spouse the way God sees it. And breakthrough those quitting points to discover greatness on the other side!
S-O-O-O, act on this! Do something this Valentine’s Day or as close to it as possible…and then keep on doing things to demonstrate your love for one another in unmistakable ways. Be a romantic–God is! (And so am I.)
Pastor L