‘Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. ‘ Ecclesiastes 9:9(NLT)
‘In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.’ 1 Peter 3:1-6(NLT)
‘In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.’ 1 Peter 3:7(NLT)
Devotional Content:
How much time do you spend on average each day with your spouse? One survey concluded that most married couples spend five minutes or less together a day. That same survey says that before marriage those same couples spent three hours together a day! That is twenty-one hours a week before marriage and thirty-five minutes a week after. In college, when Nancy and I were dating, we spent a ton of time together and it was great. Then we got married, and things began to change. She was continuing with college; I was building a career. We still spent time together, but we were not as purposeful about how we used that time. We really began to take each other for granted. Six months into marriage we were drifting apart and knew something had to change.
What about you and your spouse? Are you at five minutes or three hours or somewhere in between? Is your relationship closer now than it was this time last year, or are you drifting apart? If your marriage is going to grow, there is no shortcut to time spent together. Start today and be purposeful. If you are currently spending zero time together each day, start by spending five minutes a day with each other. Make it the most connected five minutes you can imagine: talk, touch, listen. You will be amazed at the difference it can make.
Today’s One Thing: Spend five minutes today connecting with your spouse.
from One Thing To Grow Your Marriage Each Day by Dr. Kim Kimberling