‘In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.’ 2 Peter 1:5-7(NLT)
‘“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord .’ Leviticus 19:18(NLT)
‘Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ‘ Ephesians 4:2-3(NLT)
Devotional Content:
What is the key to a good, healthy marriage? There isn’t a simple answer to that. It is a process and it takes work. Marriage is a journey and you have to work at it every day. Every marriage has its ups and downs because marriage is hard work and life isn’t easy.
Many couples want to get married because they love each other. But the truth is, love isn’t enough to ensure a happy marriage. It has to go deeper than that. There are lots of keys to a healthy, happy marriage. Things like: perseverance, patience, unselfishness, listening well, talking, solving problems, keeping romance alive, staying out of debt, and, most importantly, keeping God at the center.
To make your marriage go the distance, you have to be willing to accept the bad parts of your spouse along with the good. It means you have to be willing to work at being best friends.
Bottom line: It takes more than love to go the distance in marriage.
Today’s Challenge:
Dr. Kim shares that love alone is not enough to ensure a happy marriage. What are 5 characteristics that you think you will need to help you work toward an Awesome Marriage?
Going Deeper:
Dr. Kim shared several things that make a happy marriage: perseverance, patience, unselfishness, listening, talking, solving problems, staying out of debt, keeping romance alive, and, most importantly, keeping God at the center. Make a commitment to make these things a priority in your future marriage. Pray and ask God to help you do these things.
from Getting Yourself Ready for Marriage 1: The Tough Questions by Dr. Kim Kimberling