Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: From This Day Forward
Weekend Music links on iTunes: Today Is the Day - Lincoln Brewster, Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin, Your Love Never Fails - Jesus Culture, From the Inside Out, Lead Me - Sanctus Real
Read: Mark 10:45 Ephesians 5:25-33
Think: I believe some of the low hanging fruit in improving our marriage relationships is to choose to serve our spouses in the little things. Often there are issues that are significant to him/her that we find either unimportant or counterintuitive. It is common to make these small things a power struggle, refusing to comply out of spite. When I was first married, it was important to my wife that I put the seat down in the bathroom. In my mind at the time, I remember thinking this was silly (as well as an affront to my masculinity), why should I go the extra step when she can put it down just as easily I can raise it? But relatively quickly I realized that this wasn’t an issue worth fighting for (or I was trained into submission, but I choose to believe the former. J) We are going to have plenty of conflict in the years ahead over things that are of true importance (parenting, finances, careers, etc), so what is the upside in arguing over issues as trivial as the toilet seat? (Or picking up clutter, leaving the house precisely on time, whatever your issue/conflict may be.)
As we learn to be considerate in the small things that are important to our spouses, I believe it sets our hearts right to serve in the bigger things, both in our marriages and in life. Mark 10:45 says “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” As we begin to serve our spouses in the small things (which if we are honest with ourselves are not really that painful), we will have a more peaceful marriage. But even more importantly, we will become more Christ-like and better prepared for the greater plans God has for us.
Do: Think about the little things that cause conflict in your marriage. Ask yourself if it really is an issue that is important for you, or if it is something you can let go of to serve your spouse.
Pray: God, thank you for your example of service. Please reveal to me issues in my marriage that result in unnecessary conflict. Please give me the strength and love to serve my spouse and be considerate in these areas. Amen
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.
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