Category: Uncategorized

A Life that Understands that Your Husband is a King

Understanding God’s Design for a Man to Be a King

The Lord made every man to be a king. A king is a ruler and God made men to conquer and rule. A man needs a queen to share in his kingdom. The most important decision that a man makes, other than where he will spend eternity, is who will be his queen. An excellent wife is the crown of her husband. If he chooses an excellent wife then he will have far more advantages in life to conquer and rule. An excellent wife will be a wife that he can trust. She will only do him good and will not cause him grief. She will have his best interests in her mind and do what is right. She will give him honor. An excellent wife will not seek to get her own way but she will seek to do her husband’s will. She will not manipulate him or keep secrets from him, such as, how she spends money, where she goes and who she talks to. She will not talk about his struggles, weaknesses or faults with other women (not even with her mother). She will not correspond with other men. Her husband will be able to trust her completely and he will be able to delegate responsibilities to her. He will listen to her advice for she will have his best interests at heart and not have ulterior self-seeking motives. She will understand that a children’s glory is their father and she will teach their children to honor their father and she will not ever criticize him to their children. She will not ever say, “don’t tell your father”. If there is a question as to what to do, then she will say, “let us ask your father” and if he is not available then she will know her husband well enough to know what he would want them to do. An excellent wife will recognize her husband’s right to rule.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, Proverbs 12:4

Understanding How a Man Becomes a King

A man first learns to rule well by ruling his wife. This is not a bad thing but it is a good thing because it is her protection. She was deceived in the garden by the Serpent’s beauty and charm. She is still easily deceived. God made husband and wife to be joint rulers and she is also a ruler but her husband rules over her. God rules over the husband. If she will trust God then she can learn to trust God through her husband. The Lord will protect her from harm if she will trust the Lord. The Lord’s provision for protection for females is first their father and then their husband. They must stay under their God given authority. If they get out from or go against their God given authority then it is only a matter of time before they will be violated. After a man rules his wife then he rules his children. An excellent wife helps him to be king in their home. She teaches her children to obey their father, not only through her words, but through her example. When a man rules well in his household then he believes he can conquer in the world. He can face each day with confidence.

To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16

Men are very different from women, not only physically, but psychologically. When a man is pleased with a woman then he will give up to half of his kingdom. He wants a queen who will share in his glory. He is looking for a trustworthy woman to love and one whom can give himself to and all that he has. If you become that excellent wife then you will have no regrets. Your husband and children will praise you and your works will praise you also. You will be a success and your husband will be a success also.

Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
“Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31:28-31

A Life that Understands the Need to Be Wise

Understand the Source of Wisdom

The Bible says that if a person is wise then they will experience the wonderful and sweet fruit of wisdom, which is love, purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, knowledge, honor, riches and life. However, if a person is not wise then they will experience the bitter fruit of not being wise, which is a broken heart, jealousy, envy, much grief, regret, guilt, shame, loneliness, bitterness, ignorance, a hard life, dishonor and death. There is nothing that can compare to wisdom. Wisdom gives life to life and keeps a person from experiencing the snares of death. Wisdom is available to all and whoever finds it loves his own soul. He who does not find wisdom neglects himself and brings grief to himself. Wisdom is more valuable than riches, honor, and power, for without wisdom all of these other things can destroy a person. A person may gain the whole world but without wisdom then he will never be satisfied and will only want more. Wisdom is a gift that comes from God. A person who is not a Christian can read God’s Word, which is the Bible, and receive knowledge but not wisdom. Wisdom is the illumination of knowledge to know what to do for a desired good result. Many people want wisdom without God but wisdom only comes from God. A nonChristian can only have knowledge and knowledge usually makes arrogant. It is when we humble ourselves before God that He will give us wisdom. Wisdom is necessary for true success. The success of the world will ultimately destroy a person if he does not get wisdom. It is only the Lord that gives riches, honor, power, etc. without sorrow.

Blessed is a person who finds wisdom,
And one who obtains understanding.
For her profit is better than the profit of silver,
And her produce better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
And nothing you desire compares with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant ways,
And all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are those who hold on to her. Proverbs 3:13-18

Understand that Wisdom Is the Instruction for Life

Wisdom belongs to the Lord, who is the author of life. Wisdom is how to live life right so that you will be successful and experience great joy and gladness. Wisdom is protection from pain and wisdom is instruction on how to gain what is good. Most people ultimately learn wisdom from either experiencing the pain that comes from not doing wisdom or they experience the happiness that comes from doing wisdom. Wisdom is how to do life right. We recognize when life is done right but often we do not know how to do it for ourselves. We can see if someone has a good marriage but often we don’t know what to do to have a good marriage. We can see if another’s children are excelling in life but often we struggle with getting our child to do well. Wisdom is not elusive to the one who seeks God. The one who does not seek the Lord will not ever find wisdom. He may find knowledge but he will not receive wisdom. He will only know the pain in his heart of not doing wisdom. Wisdom belongs to the Lord and He gives it to those who know Him. The knowledge of God is understanding and the one who has understanding will also have wisdom.

Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the heart of fools it is made known. Proverbs 14:33

If you will only ask the Lord for wisdom then He will give it to you. It is one of the few promises that the Lord gives to all, to whoever will ask Him for wisdom, that He will give it and give it generously. The Lord wants to help you. The Lord loves you. He is waiting for us to come to Him. If you are struggling in an area then go to Him and ask Him for wisdom.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Get wisdom. Humble yourself before the Lord and acknowledge Jesus Christ as the source of true wisdom. You will be glad. Scoffing is turning our back on the Lord and on His ways. When we act according to our understanding or the bad counsel of others then we are the ones who suffer. God does not delight in your pain but He delights in the one who comes to Him, even if it is to avoid pain. Taste and see that the Lord is good. It is the kindness of God that leads us to repent of following our own thoughts and wanting to go our own ways. He loves you and His ways are good and kind.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you alone will bear it. Proverbs 9:12

A Life that is Revived

Sometimes it feels like “life” has been drained from us rather than feeling like our life is overflowing. How can our life be revived? How can we live life to the fullest rather than living a life that is drained and feeling weary emotionally and physically. Depression and anxiety weighs a person down and drains them of the little energy that they feel that they have. When one is depressed then everything in life seems difficult. Anxiety can also paralyze a person and that brings on further depression and stresses. How can a person live life without being “distressed” or “stressed out” or “depressed” or “down in their spirit”? How does a person become revived and strong again on the inside?

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36

The first step to living life to the fullest is to know that there is One who cares. There is One who is compassionate and cares about everything that we are going through. There is One who is full of compassion, meaning that He does not merely feel sorry for us, for compassion is mercy in action. Compassion is willing and wanting to relieve a person of their sorrow and troubles and acting on that desire by doing what is necessary. Jesus Christ felt compassion for people because they either did not have a Shepherd or they were living as if they did not have a Shepherd in their lives.

I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. John 10:14-15

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. If you want to truly live life to the fullest then you must have Jesus Christ as your Good Shepherd. If you are a Christian already, then the Lord wants you to follow your Good Shepherd. When a person has Jesus Christ as their Good Shepherd, then they will not continually be stressed out, anxious or depressed.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; John 10:27

How does the Good Shepherd revive His sheep? Every person who is a Christian will probably feel a need for revival at some time in their Christian life. How is a person revived?

My soul cleaves to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word. Psalm 119:25

Revival comes through hearing God’s Word. This is how the Shepherd speaks to His sheep. His sheep hear His voice through His Words. The person wanting revival must spend time in God’s Word. God’s Word is the Bible. Even the angels obey the voice of His Word so how much more should His sheep, so that they may follow and obey Him.

Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Psalm 103:20

Not only will you be revived but you will be comforted through His Word.

This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me. Psalm 119:50

It is the one who comes to Jesus Christ who is revived. When you draw near to God then He will draw near to you. As you spend time in His Word then pray and pour out your heart to Him. He loves it when you pray to Him and He will hear your prayer. The prayer of the humble is His delight. Humility is acknowledging our need for Him.

I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. Psalm 119:107

Do not turn to other things for revival and comfort in your troubles and depression. It is easy to be tempted by other “fixes” but they do not fix your problems but often mask the symptoms and cause the problems and struggles to be ultimately greater. Other “fixes” are vanity, meaning that they are empty and can not permanently help. The Lord is the only One who is greater than your troubles and He can and wants to help the one who will come to Him. Turn your eyes to Him.

Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways. Psalm 119:37

The Lord will revive you according to His promises. Seek the Lord and you will be glad. He will bring you out of your troubles. He will revive you.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; Psalm 138:7a

Ask the Lord to be your Shepherd. The Lord invites all who will come to Him to be one of His sheep. He takes care of His own. He is the Good Shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23

A Life with a New Start

There are many people in the world who would give anything to start life all over and do life differently. The older you get the more you realize that many of the decisions you made were not good. We can either learn truth from respecting and acknowledging the truth and benefit from it or we can continue on in our own ways and suffer from our ignorance of the truth. When we learn truth the hard way then it is called pain. We are not the better person because of the pain that we went through but we are a better person when we learn truth. How much better life is when we learn wisdom and truth before we make poor decisions that will ultimately bring us much pain and grief. Whenever we respond to a lie or deception then our response will be wrong every time. Every decision that we make in life is either a response to the truth or a response to a lie. When we respond to a lie or deception then the outcome is pain. How often has someone said, “I was so deceived” or “I should never have made that decision”.

There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 16:25

When we respond to truth then the outcome is peace, contentment and much happiness. When we know the truth then we will be able to identify the lies when they come along. The lies that say that if you do this or that then you will be happy. There are many lies that communicate a deception of happiness but the end is death to the soul, which is the heart of your emotions and happiness. It is in your own heart that you will know and feel the pain of any foolish decisions. Foolish decisions bring depression, anxiety and grief to the heart of the person who has made them.

Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the hearts of fools it is made known. Proverbs 14:33

A person does not have to go through life learning the hard way. There is a way that gives happiness without the pain of death to the soul. There is One who will teach you the truth and guide you into making decisions based on what is good and what is right. There is One who can give you a truly wonderful life, for He is life.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6

Jesus Christ came to give, whoever will come to Him, an abundant life. He came to take away our pain. He came to give us a new start. He came to save us and teach us His way which leads to a good life. He came to take away the bad and to give us the good. He came to forgive us of all of the bad decisions that we have done. He did not come to judge us but to save us. He came to love us.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17

This love and this life is available to any who will come to Jesus Christ and who will call on Him to become their Lord and Savior. He will not turn away anyone who comes to Him. He accepts all, no matter how many bad decisions they have made. He forgives all.

for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

If you have never come to Jesus Christ then there is no better time to come to Him than now. He will forgive your past and give you a new start in life. He will make you a new person. He will forgive all of your sins: past, present and future and you will become His child. You will find rest for your soul and find the peace and contentment that you long for in this life. You will also receive eternal life for in the life to come.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

When you come to Him then ask Him to be your Lord and Savoir and He will receive you into His family. When you receive Him into your life then you will become His child. You will belong to Him forever.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12,13

This is what it means to be born again into the family of God. You will live forever in His love and will want to love Jesus Christ the rest of your life, for you will experience what it means to become a new person in Christ and to have all of your sins wiped away…for now and for all eternity. You will begin to experience life in a new way.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. II Corinthians 5:17

Jesus Christ came to give us an abundant life. This gift is available to all people of all nations. God shows no partiality. His love is for all. If you have never experienced God’s love in a personal way then today can be the day of your salvation and the day that you begin to live an eternal and abundant life through knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. You will not be disappointed.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Romans 10:9-11

A Life that is Transformed

As all of us grow older we understand the truth that our outer person is decaying. We may think that we can prolong it but our bodies will one day wear out. However, if our inner person has life, though we may die on the outside, the inside of us will be renewed and become stronger and be refreshed for it will never decay.

II Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man  is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

If we follow the instructions the Lord has given to us then we will soar like an eagle on the inside and we will gain new strength. We will run and not get tired and we will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Our youth will be renewed like the eagle. A Christian is the only one whose youth is renewed though he grows older. It is our endless dissatisfaction in life and seeking after things that will never satisfy that saps us of our strength and makes us feel old before our time. Let the Lord satisfy your years with good things and let Him fulfill you.

Psalm 103:5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

As our inner person is being renewed it is also being transformed, or at least, it should be in the process of being changed. If you are a Christian then His blueprint for you is that you will become conformed to the image of Christ. He made us in His image and that is His design for each of us.

I John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

He conforms us into the image of Christ by transforming us through His Word. His blood washes our conscience clean and then He renews our mind so that we will act in accordance to His will.

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The Lord wants to transform you through His Word.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

However, if you neglect getting in His Word then He will often bring people alongside you who will share His Word with you. This is the Lord trying to speak to you. They are not as gentle as His Spirit but none the less, they are His instruments for your good.

I Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

If, however, you still resist His Spirit then He will discipline you if you are His child. Now, the Lord says that discipline can be painful but it is for your good. It is because you were not obedient earlier to what He had shown you. The purpose of discipline is to bring you back to Him and get you back on track so that you can become like Him and experience His plan for your life.

Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

The Lord has a plan for your life but to fully experience that plan you must stay in His will and continually be transformed into the image of Christ. He speaks to us in three different ways. First of all, He wants to speak to you through His Spirit and His Word. If you do not listen then often He will speak to you through people. If you still do not listen then He will speak to you through circumstances. If you hate unnecessary pain then stay in His Word and when He speaks to you listen. This is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ kept saying when He was on earth, “He who has ears to hear, let Him hear”.

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes;
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.”’

Do you need healing? Do you have areas that need changing? Let Him heal you so that you might be whole again. Let Him change you. His changes are lasting and they are not “turning over a new leaf” by trying harder. He makes you like Christ. Beloved, one day you will be like Him. Do not lose heart.

 

 

A Life with Love is a Gift

Love is not elusive nor is it a fantasy but love is a gift. Love is a gift that God gives to mankind from Him and it is the most pleasant and desirable of all God’s gifts.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; I Corinthians 13:5-8a

Love enters the heart and changes a person from the inside to the outside. When someone knows that they are loved then they are secure and satisfied. Love takes away fears, humiliation, shame, rejection, anxieties and every other negative thing that destroys us. Love can not be bought and there is not anything anyone can do to work for love. Love is a gift from the giver. Love must be received as a gift.

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13

Faith will one day be done away with because it won’t be necessary. Hope will one day be fulfilled. Love will never end. Love is eternal and those who have love will live eternally. God is love and when a person becomes a Christian then God comes to live in them and when He comes into their life then love comes into their heart.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. I John 4:8

God is love and God created man to be loved. Man turned his back on God’s love and chose to go his own way. God’s love did not change and He sent Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son into the world to show mankind His great love.

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. I John 4:9

Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died for our sins and rose again. He is coming again for those who love Him, so that they might be with Him forever. He will love them forever and they will live forever in His love. The gift of God’s love comes through receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39

There is nothing that can separate us from God’s love once we have received it. God’s love is forever. When we receive Jesus Christ then He releases us from our sins.

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— Revelation 1:5

This gift is offered to all and any who will come to Jesus Christ can receive God’s gift of love. Jesus Christ will never leave the one who comes to Him and receives Him. When we receive Jesus Christ then we receive God’s love and we come into His kingdom.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13,14

When we turn from ourselves to God to follow Him then He transfers us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in whom we receive forgiveness of all of our sins.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

When we receive Jesus Christ then we also receive God’s gift of love. When Jesus Christ comes into our life then God loves us with the same love with which He loves Jesus. This is an amazing fact. We, who are sinners, and Jesus Christ who never sinned are loved with the same love.

so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. John 17:23b

Do you feel loved? Do you know that there is One who loves you? Have you received the gift of love? His love for you will never leave nor will His love ever fail.

for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5b

A Life that Understands Blueprint for Marriage

Understand that There is a Blueprint for Marriage

God’s blueprint for marriage is perfect. God’s blueprint for marriage is right. Another word for God’s way in marriage is righteousness. Where there is righteousness then there will be peace, quietness and confidence. When these qualities are not present in a relationship then that is an indication that something is not being done right. Go back to the blueprint. Look at the blueprint for before marriage and the blueprint for after marriage. Some things that are wrong before marriage are right after marriage and some other things that are right before marriage are wrong after marriage. It is wrong for a girl to submit to a guy before marriage and it is wrong for her to not submit after marriage. (A girl is to obey her father before marriage and after marriage she is to submit to her husband). It is wrong for a girl and boy to know each other physically before marriage and it is wrong to withhold the physical after marriage. (Love must rule and both the spouses must be considerate of each other. There are also times when the sexual aspect should not be experienced, such as during a woman’s time of month and around six weeks after she has a baby. The length of time is in the Bible, it differs for a girl baby and a boy baby.) There is a time and place for everything. Many marriage problems are because the relationship was not done right before marriage and the couple reaps the bad fruit in the marriage. Other marriage problems are because the blueprint was not followed after marriage due to ignorance about God’s ways. God created man and woman equal. There is equality in marriage but there is also an order for the good and protection of the woman. There are also different responsibilities that come with the different positions. There are many things that are not mentioned and if it is not defined in the Bible, then it does not matter which spouse does it. For example, there is no mention of cooking, changing diapers, etc. nor is it wrong for the wife to work, etc. as long as her responsibilities in the home are attended to properly. Again, if life is not being done right, then there will not be peace, quietness or confidence. If each spouse is in a right relationship with God then the good fruit of love, joy and peace will be seen in their marriage. If a marriage is done right then there will be the good fruit in the children of good manners (respect towards others), good behavior and a love for the Lord. If a family is done right, then that family will have the good fruit of love for others and will be a blessing and light to the world. (These are also the qualifications of a leader.)

By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
And by knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong,
And a person of knowledge increases power.
For by wise guidance you will wage war,
And in an abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs 24:3-6

Understand Destruction that Comes From No Blueprint in Marriage

Much time is spent in planning a wedding but much more time needs to be spent in planning the marriage. Plan and take care of your marriage and God will use your marriage to take care of you. It is not good for man to be alone and God designed marriage for people so that they would not be alone. Woe to one who falls and there is not one who loves them to pick them up. We need someone in our lives to love and to love us. We need someone who we can trust and who will be there during times of better or worse. When there are children we need parents to raise them and not a single parent or no parent. God’s plan from the beginning was good and it was loving. God’s plan still is good and it is still loving but we must follow His plan to experience that love and His goodness. Read God’s Word and do it. The Lord has much to say about the time in a relationship before marriage and how to prepare for marriage and much to say about marriage. Nearly everything that is in the world about marriage is either a lie or a truth mixed with lies. God is not a God of confusion. If you seek Him then you will find Him, if you seek Him with all of your heart. He is light and in Him you will see light. He will show you what you need to do each step of the way.

“Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49

Now is the time to build your life on the Lord and His Words. When the storm comes then it is too late to build. Not everyone who calls Jesus Lord belongs to Him. Jesus Christ is only your Lord if you do what He says. Act on what He says and then you will often understand it. Do not wait to understand it and then act on it. That is not faith. Faith is trusting the Lord in what He says and doing it. Faith is building your life on His Word. When you live this way then you will not be confused and He will help you and guide you. The Lord meets the one who delights in living according to God’s ways. Trust Him and you will not be disappointed.

A Life that Understands Marriage Needs a Builder

Understand that a Marriage Needs a Master Builder

Just as with any aspect of creation, to understand it, we must go to the creator. To understand a work of art, it helps to know the artist. To fully comprehend the building plans we must know the builder. The Lord is the One who created marriage. Marriage is a beautiful picture of God’s love and He gave us a building plan for His design for marriage. If marriage is done right then it is the most wonderful, fulfilling, exciting, loving and joyful experience on earth. It truly can be heaven on earth, but only if it is done God’s way. Just as He gave us a blueprint for marriage, He also said that if we would allow Him, then He would build our marriage. The Lord is a wonderful Master Builder, who does all things well. We will experience His wonder, His love, His glory, His wisdom, His power, His riches and His peace if we let Him build, not only our lives, but our relationships and marriage. He is good and His ways are perfect.

Unless the Lord builds a house, They who build it labor in vain; Psalm 127:1a

Understand the Devastation and Destruction that Comes with No Master Builder

There is such a tendency to think that we “can do it”. That is nothing but pride. We can only do what is right by God’s grace. The Lord is the only One who has done life right and it is only when we come to Him, in humility, will we learn His righteousness, which is “doing life right”. When we do life and marriage right then there will be love, joy and peace. When we don’t do life right then there will not be any peace, quietness or confidence.

Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness, Jeremiah 22:13a

There are so many lies out in the world about marriage. Some people say that there can not be a loving marriage or that people who love each other do not have to get married. They are right, no one has to “get married” but the love will not last. No one has to choose the Lord or walk in His ways. Love is a choice and the Lord does not force anyone to choose Him or to follow His ways. However, the Lord is not mocked. God’s ways are true and He is faithful. If you want life, love and peace then you must follow the One who is life, love and peace and who gives life, love and peace to those who belong to Him. If you listen to lies then you will respond to lies. If you respond to a lie then your response will always be wrong. The first thing you need to do is listen to the truth. The truth can be found in God’s Word. Know the Lord and know His Word. You can learn His Word a little by little and as you do so then you will grow in Him and in His love. You will learn to do what is right and your life will soon take on a much greater meaning and you will find much fulfillment in life. Your life and marriage will be blessed and you will have great joy and much love. You will be blessed and you will be a blessing.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3:5-7

A Life that Understands Marriage Needs Foundation

Understand that a Marriage Needs a Solid Foundation

Love and marriage does not just happen but it needs to be built. Just as anything that is built to last must have the right foundation, so it is with love and marriage. If the love relationship in marriage is to last through the storms of life then it must be built on the right foundation. The storms will come and will test the love and the marriage. If the relationship is built on the right foundation then you need not fear. Testing always reveals the weaknesses, so during the storms things might seem sometimes fragile, do not fear, but be faithful and the storm will soon pass.

For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 3:11

Understand You Responsibility In Building Your Marriage

Jesus Christ and His Word is the only foundation that will stand the trials of life. Every marriage will be tried and tested through the storms that come it’s way. If the marriage is built on the Lord then He will cause it to stand. We are weak but He is strong and He is faithful. Read, meditate on and study God’s Word and do according to all that is written in it and then your marriage will be successful. God’s grace is getting up after falling down and not losing our desire or the power to do life right, which is according to God’s Word. Though a Christian may fall, the Lord lifts him up and holds his hand. If you fall or fail, then get back up and do it right. Marriage is humbling but it is a good humbling because when we truly love someone then we want to change. Marriage may reveal how little we love someone else and generally we find that the one we want to love more than our spouse is ourselves. Marriage reveals our selfishness but the Lord wants to make us like Him, who was not selfish at all, but loved to the end. Jesus was faithful to love and to consider others more important than himself.

But each person must be careful how he builds on it. I Corinthians 3:10b

Understand that you are either building your marriage or you are tearing it down. A marriage is built day by day. To build a marriage right then you must be faithful every day to do what is right, even when you do not feel like it. If you build your love and marriage on God’s Word then you will receive great comfort and love the rest of your life. If you do not build it on God’s Word then you will receive much grief and heartache. The Lord gives us everything we need to build our marriage on the right foundation, which is Jesus Christ. He also gives us what we need to build it where it will stand through the storms and be a comfort, support and refuge throughout our lives. Get help from others. Go to women who have a successful marriage and ask them what they have done. The Lord provides older women to help younger women. Ask the Lord to help you. The Lord delights in helping those who want to do it right and who ask Him for help.

The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands. Proverbs 14:1

The only way that a person can have the right foundation in marriage is if they have the right foundation in their own life. If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, to follow Him and love Him, then you can do that today. He will come into your life and He will start rebuilding your life the way it needs to be. He gives a person not only a new foundation, but a new start. He takes the bad and gives the good. He knows what you need and He will fulfill you and be your Good Shepherd. He loves you and if you will trust Him then He will teach you and lead you in the right way. Not only will your marriage be able to stand but your life will stand through the storms. He will give you peace, joy and great love.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20

A Life that Understands Importance of Gratitude

One of the characteristics of being in love and staying in love is gratitude. Thankfulness is the expression of gratitude and gratitude is remembering the love and kindness that has been shown to you. If anyone loves another then there should be an expression of gratitude. Any act of kindness is a tangible expression of love and the giving of thanks is the least that the recipient of love can give in return. The Bible says that thankfulness was in the garden of Eden and the Bible says that the ungodly do not give thanks. Giving thanks is giving honor and respect and the lack of thankfulness is selfcenteredness and disrespect. Gratefulness is a character quality of a great person, a great friend and a great spouse. Gratefulness is a character quality of a person who knows and walks with God. Thanksgiving is expressing gratefulness and will be seen in any love relationship, whether it is a person’s love relationship with God, their love relationship in a marriage, the love in friendships and the love relationships in families.

…like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody. Isaiah 51:3

God is love and He shows His love all of the time to mankind, to the righteous and the wicked. The least a person can do is thank God for His mercies. He sends rain on the good and the evil and He also causes His sun to shine on the good and the evil. He sets the boundaries for the ocean and has fixed the order of the seasons. Becoming a grateful person begins with remembering God’s love towards us. He promised that He would never flood the earth again. He has told us over and over again that we do not need to fear if we trust Him. We do not need to fear the negative opinions of the world. The climate can not change apart from God and no plague can “wipe out” the population of any nation nothing is out of God’s control. God is loving and no evil dwells with Him. We can believe in Jesus Christ and live in His love or we can choose not to believe in Jesus Christ and we will not see His love. He shows His love towards His children more than a thousand different ways and His children are forever grateful for His many acts of love because of His greatest expression of love and that is Jesus Christ going to the cross to die for our sins. When we experience God’s love we want to thank Him. When we cease to thank Him then we have forgotten His great love.

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Romans 8:32

In a similar way, when we cease to thank our spouse for their love then we have forgotten all that has been shown to us by another. When we do not thank our parents for their love then we have forgotten the sacrifices they have made to give to us. When we do not thank our friends for their kindness in being our friend then we are again ungrateful and when we are ungrateful in anything then more than ever we are undeserving. As a person matures they realize that nothing should be taken for granted. All that we have is a gift from God, whether it is being called His child, having parents who love us, friends who we can count on, a spouse who is faithful and loving or whatever good relationships that we have been given. They are all an expression of His kindness to us. If you are grateful for what the Lord has done in your life then express your gratitude by giving thanks to those who love you.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, Romans 1:21a

Do not marry an ungrateful person unless you want to miserable your entire life and do not be an ungrateful spouse unless you want to make your marriage partner miserable. Marry someone who is thankful and that person will appreciate you and your love for them. If you want to bring joy to your spouse then be a grateful person. Let not a day go by without saying thanks to someone for what they have done. Most important of all, do not let a day go by without giving thanks to God for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross so that your sins and ungratefulness might be forgiven. Before we knew God, we were all ungrateful and selfish. It is only God’s love that can change us and change the world. When God’s love softens our hearts then we want to thank Him. It is our hardness of heart and pride that refuses to give thanks.