‘For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.’ Hebrews 6:10-12(NLT)
‘For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ‘ Galatians 5:13-14(NLT)
‘And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.’ Romans 12:1-2(NLT)
‘Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.’ John 12:25-26(NLT)
The last habit or ingredient to a thriving marriage is serving. Whether it is serving at your local church, a ministry that you’re passionate about or maybe a neighbor in need, serving others is crucial.
Now let me also recognize that there is a time and season for everything. If you are trying to recover from an affair, a porn addiction, gambling, alcohol or drug addiction, then maybe serving is your next season. When the pain and shock of hidden sins or betrayal first comes to light, you might actually need to step back from serving to seek some intense counseling and healing. But not forever!
Serving others helps us take our eyes off of ourselves and focus on others and their needs. This is so important because if you never take your eyes off yourself, all you will do is focus on yourself and become selfish and self-seeking. When a marriage is struggling, plenty of selfishness and self-seeking is already occurring. Serving is a great way to refocus and take our eyes off ourselves and onto those who need help. What you often find is that your troubles aren’t as bad as you thought and you actually have a lot to be thankful for.
Serving also brings you and your spouse to a unified front. No matter of all the other issues you might disagree on, at least on this issue you can agree, and that is a great start. So start the conversation with your spouse, and ask God: “Where would you like us to serve? What is a need we can fill?”
from True North: LIVE Free In Marriage