FOCUS ON MARRIAGE => MARRIAGE MESSAGE 33

By Cindy and Steve Wright

This past weekend we attended an EXCELLENT satellite simulcast marriage conference called "Focus on Marriage" sponsored by the ministry of Focus on the Family. We enjoyed and learned through every moment of it. Tens of thousands of couples attended this conference throughout the United States. We hope they'll make DVD's available for this seminar (which we would let you know about if they do so you can benefit as well) and will hold another conference next year (with an even larger audience).

In this Marriage Message, we would like to share some quotes from Gary Thomas, who is one of our favorite authors on the subject of marriage. He spoke on "Seeing Your Marriage Through the Eyes of God." He has written the books "Sacred Marriage", "Devotions for a Sacred Marriage" and "Sacred Influence" as well as other books on other subjects. But here are some things he said at the conference that I TRIED to write down as fast as I could -- hoping I am quoting him correctly. We hope they minister to your marriage as they have ours:

-- "We have to quit going to church for our marriages and to Caesar for our divorces."

-- "Marriage places a spotlight on my sins much more than I experienced when I was single" (because as he pointed out, your lifestyle isn't bumped into, to the same extent, when you're living on your own so you become more aware of your sinful ways). "We have the amazing ability to be blinded to our own sin."

-- "If your goal in life is to serve Jesus, stay single because marriage is going to take an immense amount of time and energy, but if your goal in life is to be like Jesus, get married because marriage will reveal your weaknesses, and it will challenge you to grow." (That doesn't mean that you can't be like Jesus if you're single, but in marriage you better see the sacrificial servant attitude Christ took on as our Bridegroom.) "A married person is to take on the nature of a servant" (as Christ modeled for us as He died to self for the sake of His bride).

-- "What if God didn't design marriage to make us happy, what if God designed marriage to make us holy? What if God's purpose for marriage goes beyond our fun? What if God wants to use my marriage to reveal my weaknesses, to teach me sides of God I could not see before, to teach me how to love. Marriage reveals my spiritual weaknesses. It gives me the opportunity to master patience, forgiveness, faithfulness, goodness, and other virtues God is trying to build in us. In fact, that might be God's most important purpose for your marriage -- to help you to grow up."

-- "What is behind the problems in marriage? We see the answer in James 3:2: 'We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.'"

-- Gary was telling of a woman that said that her marriage was difficult. He said to her, "You don't have to tell me that you're in a difficult marriage. That's redundant. Marriage IS difficult. That's a given!" (He pointed out James 3:2 and then told of the warning the Apostle Paul gave in 1 Corinthians 7:28, "Those who marry will face many troubles in this life; I want to spare you this.")

-- "In finding help for your marriage, it's not so much the 'How to' that is needed, but the 'Heart to' do what is right and what is needed. If you know the 'How to', but you don't have the 'Heart to' do what is needed, the 'How to' won't matter... You won't do it. ... One of the ways to renew the 'Heart to' improve your marriage is to rediscover the purpose of marriage."

-- "Aren't we asking more of marriage than God expects it to give? It's foolish to allow romantic attraction to mainly determine WHO we marry and WHEN we are to divorce. Scientific studies show bio-chemically, that the highs of romantic feelings aren't continually sustainable" (so we could easily make grave mistakes and sin if we allow ourselves to be guided by our emotional romantic feelings of attachment).

-- "The Bible tells us that we all stumble and fall and sin. Before you marry you need to know how the person you are marrying stumbles. You want to know what you're agreeing to live with and what you have to work with. Marriage isn't about being young and romantic together, it's about growing old together" (and doing what is right according to God's ways).

-- "When you married for trivial reasons, you'll divorce for trivial reasons. A reason to stay married is to seek the heart to become a better spouse -- to become a God-centered spouse, not a spouse-centered spouse."

-- "To be a God-centered spouse, I am called to love my spouse out of my love for God." (Gary refers to Matthew 6:33, which says, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.") "The question to ask yourself is: How do I bring God's Kingdom into my house? ... Seek first God's righteousness in your attitude and actions within your marriage and God will surprise you in other ways from behind."

-- (Gary referred to 2 Corinthians 7:1 which says, "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.") "We are called to purify ourselves, to put the spotlight on ourselves, not to aim to purify our spouse. Marriage gives me opportunity to apply these principles every day and to purify myself."

-- "If you want to get on my good side, be good to one of my kids. If you want to be on my bad side, be mean to one of my kids. I'm a Dad and I love my kids and want others to treat them kindly. ...God is your heavenly Father; your spouse is one of God's kids. If you want to please God, be good to his kid -- your spouse. …Some husbands wouldn't know an emotion if it bit him on the nose and he bled. But you please God's heart when you love him anyway. He is God's son, just as a wife is God's daughter. Love God's son (or daughter) despite how they stumble. Marriage brings out the ways we stumble. Can you love your spouse out of reverence for God?"

-- "How can I face God someday and say to Him, 'I'm sorry, your daughter (or son) isn't good enough for me?' Marriage will challenge you."

-- "Marriage brings out a lot of bad attitudes in each of us. Biblical God-centered love in action is what makes a marriage a success. ...God teaches us what love is, not based on human expectations, but on God-centered love."

We pray what Gary Thomas had to say has spoken to your heart in some way that you will aim center your love on God and love your spouse "as unto the Lord." You will help your marriage, but even more so, you will please the heart of your Heavenly Father.

If Anointed Child has been a blessing or source of encouragement to you please consider supporting us by making a donation. Your contribution big or small, is deeply appreciated. Be Blessed!

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