‘Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.’ Philippians 2:3-4(NLT)
‘For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.’ James 3:16(NLT)
‘For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”’ Matthew 20:28(NLT)
Devotional Content:
Let’s talk about what an awesome marriage is not! An awesome marriage is not built on selfishness, and that may be the toughest obstacle any of us have to overcome. Selfishness can be one of the biggest and most damaging distractions to a marriage.
What is selfishness? To me, it is when I put my wants, my desires, and my needs above Nancy’s. It is when I want her world to revolve around mine. And although this is really hard for me to admit, there are times I think it should. That is just crazy thinking on my part. A marriage can never be built on selfishness.
Sometimes I can think that I have been a pretty good husband and it is her turn to serve me. I can build a pretty good case in my mind about this. The problem is that a healthy marriage does not work that way. A healthy marriage is not one person getting their way at the expense of the other. A healthy marriage is two people who each day purposely seek to serve each other. And amazingly enough, when both the husband and the wife do that, they each end up getting their needs met.
Bottom line: Serving works; selfishness does not. Serve your spouse each and every day. That is an awesome marriage.
Today’s Challenge: Ask God’s help in putting Him first and your spouse second today. Consistently making that your top priority will take care of your selfishness!
Going Deeper:
1. Dr. Kim shares that an awesome marriage is not built on selfishness. In what ways has selfishness crept up in your marriage?
2. Dr. Kim shares that a healthy marriage is not one person getting their way at the expense of the other but rather that a healthy marriage is two people who purposely seek to serve the other. What can you do this week to serve your spouse?
3. Selfishness creeps up when we are not careful. What can you do to be intentional about remaining selfless in your marriage?
4. Pray and ask God to help you serve your spouse and to not let selfishness creep in.
Resource:
Use mundane moments for Godly purpose in your marriage with our House Prayer Cards.
Prayer is the single BEST thing you can for your marriage. God is the one who can ultimately change your hearts and your marriage for the better, so inviting him in to do those things is the single best thing you can do for your marriage.
from Distractions In Your Marriage – Part 2