Tag: From This Day Forward

‘Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord . Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me!
Beth
How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.’ Psalms 119:1-11(NLT)

‘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 12:2(NLT)

‘We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. ‘ 2 Corinthians 10:5(NLT)

Seek God. Fight fair. Have fun. Stay pure. And never give up. These five commitments are the keys to a lasting marriage. But we need God to do these things; we can’t do them under our own strength.

Leave the past in the past. Let every day be a new day. From this day forward, we can decide what we want our marriage to be. We can’t change the past, but God can change our future. Keep your marriage simple, focused, and Christ-centered, and you’ll have the marriage that most people only dream about.

Let’s pray together: God, help me see the ending of this Bible plan as a beginning of a new thing that You want to do in my marriage. I give You complete control of every area of my life — including my marriage — so that all of my life brings glory and honor to You. I want a marriage that shows the world what Your love, redemption, grace, and forgiveness is like. As I commit to seeking You, please be present in my marriage, and grant both of us Your favor. Thank You for all that You’ve already done in our relationship. And thank You for what I trust You will continue to do in us and through us. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

from From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel

‘As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.’ Proverbs 27:17(NLT)

‘For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord . “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ‘ Jeremiah 29:11(NLT)

‘Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. ‘ Matthew 19:3-8(NLT)

‘But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.’ 1 John 4:8(NLT)

‘If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? ‘ 1 John 4:20(NLT)

‘Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ‘ Galatians 6:7-9(NLT)

When you exchange rings and vows and enter into the covenant of marriage, you’re dedicating yourself to love “until death do us part.” But what happens when the love runs dry? What happens if only one of you chooses to read this Bible plan? What do you do when the worst happens, and those vows are shattered by unfaithfulness? Whatever you’re facing, even if it could be grounds for divorce, that means it can also be grounds for forgiveness.

Marriage is one of the toughest ways that we can see the proverb “iron sharpens iron” play out. No matter what fault you find in your spouse, the truth is, there are always ways that you need to grow and develop, too. If that wedding band starts to feel more like a handcuff, then you have a decision to make: you can decide to forgive what seems unforgivable. You can decide to extend the grace that God gave you to your spouse. You can decide to own up to your mistakes. When your car runs out of gas, you don’t sell it. You put more gas in! Let God love through you. And never give up.

Let’s pray together: Jesus, when I feel like I don’t have any love left to give, help me to love with Your love. Help me to keep the vows I made to You, even when I no longer feel them. Help me give the same grace You’ve given me. And be my strength on the days when I want to give up. I trust that You’re big enough to hold us together. In Your Name we pray, amen.

from From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel

‘Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.’ Hebrews 13:4(NLT)

‘Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. ‘ Ephesians 5:3(NLT)

‘But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. ‘ 1 Corinthians 8:9(NLT)

‘Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.’ 1 Corinthians 6:18-20(NLT)

‘So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’ Matthew 5:29-30Matthew 5:27-28(NLT)

‘“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ‘ Matthew 5:27-28(NLT)

‘The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.’ 1 Corinthians 10:13(NLT)

‘If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.’ 1 John 1:8-10(NLT)

‘Stay away from every kind of evil.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:22(NLT)

People spend months planning for their wedding but sometimes neglect to make marriage planning a priority. We may attend a premarital class or talk with the minister who performs the wedding, but we often don’t really open up about what issues we may be bringing into the relationship. We may not even be fully aware of how our habitual thoughts and behaviors could threaten our unity.

Because the marriage bed is God’s standard for sexual intimacy, it’s also the place that suffers most when sexual baggage is brought into a relationship. Whether it’s from a promiscuous past, sexually-charged music, racy novels, unhealed wounds from abuse, or exposure to pornography — any source of sexual stimulation outside the context of your marriage is a dangerous threat. No matter how harmless you’ve convinced yourself it is, if you’re keeping it a secret from your spouse, you’re closing the door to intimacy and opening the door to adultery.

Are you willing to build a barrier together to keep those threats out? Are you willing to limit your freedoms to keep you strong against temptation? Are you willing to be transparent with your schedule, your conversations, or your online interactions? Do this when you’re strong to protect yourself when you’re weak. Ask God to show you your weaknesses — then shore them up.

Will lines be crossed? Will failures happen? Almost certainly. Deal with issues as they arise. Ask God to forgive you. Ask your spouse to forgive you. But fight to stay pure. Purity matters.

Let’s pray together: Jesus, You paid such a high price to make us clean and new. Only You can make us pure in Your sight. Help us have the courage to stay pure. Give us the strength to forgive and to protect our hearts from the damage of sin. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

from From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel

‘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)

‘How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O queenly maiden. Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a skilled craftsman. Your navel is perfectly formed like a goblet filled with mixed wine. Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat bordered with lilies. Your breasts are like two fawns, twin fawns of a gazelle. Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is as fine as the tower of Lebanon overlooking Damascus.’ Song of Songs 7:1-4(NLT)

‘I am my lover’s, and he claims me as his own. Come, my love, let us go out to the fields and spend the night among the wildflowers. Let us get up early and go to the vineyards to see if the grapevines have budded, if the blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.’ Song of Songs 7:10-12(NLT)

‘Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.’ Proverbs 5:18-19(NLT)

‘“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.’ Matthew 7:12(NLT)

‘Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. ‘ Revelation 2:5(NLT)

Being engaged can be a lot of fun. It’s full of so much anticipation and excitement, yet it’s such a small window of time in the context of an entire life spent together. How can you carry that fun of courtship, engagement, and the honeymoon into year after year of marriage? How can you have fun when you’re facing financial strains, problems with the kids, or just the normal changing seasons of life? Do you have to keep pursuing your spouse even after you’ve already “caught” them?

Yes! You have to make fun a priority. It may seem like a luxury you can’t afford, but the reality is, it’s a necessary part of having a marriage that goes the distance. Fun is a requirement. And you can choose to have fun with your spouse.

What if someone else’s marriage looks more fun than yours? What if that girl at the bank laughs at your jokes? What if that guy at the office always seems to have better weekend plans? If the grass looks greener somewhere else — water your lawn! Be intentional about intimacy and connectedness. Work to get back to being best friends: laughing together, snuggling, looking to each other for comfort and joy. It may not seem fun to schedule time for fun, but that may be where you need to start. And that relationship is what you want anyway, isn’t it?

Let’s pray together: Father, we repent for the things we’ve allowed to crowd out our time with each other. Help us to make time for down time as a couple. Give us wisdom and creativity to find ways we enjoy being together. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

from From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel

‘A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day.’ Proverbs 27:15(NLT)

‘Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. ‘ James 1:19-20(NLT)

‘Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.’ Proverbs 18:2(NLT)

‘Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.’ Proverbs 21:23(NLT)

‘for anger gives a foothold to the devil.’ Ephesians 4:27(NLT)

‘The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.’ John 10:10(NLT)

All couples fight. But how you fight can mean the difference between a minor disagreement and major damage. Healthy couples fight for resolution, not for victory. Conflict isn’t a relationship killer all by itself. But here are four warning signs that you may not be handling conflict in a constructive way:

1. Criticism

Are you using disagreement or conflict as an opportunity to criticize your spouse? Or are you guilty of criticizing them in front of other people? Criticism is a warning sign that you’re fighting against each other instead of for the relationship.

2. Contempt

Contempt is one of the most accurate indicators that a marriage is heading off track. Even if it’s never expressed in words, a disgusted glare, an exasperated eye roll, or a snarky mental remark is still a big red flag.

3. Defensiveness

Right now — when you’re not in the middle of a fight — you have to admit that defensiveness is not something that you’ll probably be able to see in yourself once your feathers are ruffled. You’ll have to choose to listen when it’s pointed out to you.

4. Stonewalling

If your spouse won’t seek God with you, don’t let that stop you. Your spouse is not your enemy. We only have one enemy. And he’s a thief and liar who never fights fair. Don’t fight each other. Get on the same team, and fight off the spiritual issues like pride and a hard heart that sabotage your relationship.

Let’s pray together: Jesus, please help us to keep conflict from driving a wedge into our marriage. Help each of us lay down our pride and address our own issues with criticism, contempt, defensiveness, or stonewalling. Help us commit to fight in a way that brings restoration and resolution. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

from From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel

‘“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’ Matthew 22:36-39(NLT)

‘Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. ‘ 2 Chronicles 7:14(NLT)

‘“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.’ Matthew 7:7-8(NLT)

‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.’ Matthew 6:33(NLT)

Modern culture tells us we should look for that perfect person: “the one.” If we just find and marry “the one,” everything afterwards is wedded bliss, right? That’s a pretty unreasonable expectation to place on someone. Just think: would you want to be “the one” to bear that responsibility? Then why force those expectations on someone else?

God is the One who completes you. He created you to love Him with your whole heart and to put Him above all else. God is your One. Your spouse is your two. And when the two of you commit to seek God together, you can build a marriage—together—on a firm foundation that will stand the test of time.

What’s something you could ask God to do in you that would make you a better partner to your spouse? Become the kind of person you would want to be married to. Seek the One with your two. Begin by committing to pray together every day, even if it’s through a text message, over the phone, or silently.

Let’s pray together: God, help us to put You first in our home and to seek You together. Help us establish a strong foundation by building our relationship on You. Help us commit to a regular time that we pray together each day. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

from From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel

‘The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.’ Lamentations 3:22-23(NLT)

‘Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10(NLT)

‘Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”’ Matthew 19:26(NLT)

Whether or not you’re married now, did you ever daydream about what your marriage might look like? What kind of person your spouse would be? What sort of relationship you’d have together? Even whether you’d have children and where you’d live? Now think about the life you have today. When our realities don’t live up to our dreams, what can we do about it?

Marriage vows often include phrases like “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.” Relationships contain all of those things. No matter what circumstances, choices, shortcomings, or surprises may have landed us in a less-than-dreamy present, we can’t look to the past to make it better. We can only commit to a better future starting now — “from this day forward.”

If having the marriage of your dreams were easy, you’d already have it, right? If you don’t have the strength, you’ll have to learn to rely on Christ’s strength, which is always enough. And even if you’re in a place where you feel like you’re all out of love — you can rely on His love that never runs out.

Let’s pray together: Lord, thank You that each day we have from You is a gift, another chance for a fresh start. Help us to forgive, and to let go of the past. Please help us to see Your strength in our weaknesses today, and then again tomorrow, and every day after. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

from From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel