Theme:   Love Sex and Marriage - How to Keep Your Marriage Growing

This eDevotional was written by a volunteer from Timberlake Church.

READ:  Proverbs 10:12; Proverbs 15:1; Proverbs 15:4

THINK:  Sitting in church over the past four weeks next to my spouse has made me squirm at times as the Holy Spirit seemed to speaK directly to me. You see my marriage has been in a valley season.  Listening to this week’s message was different though.  I actually took my spouse’s hand during worship and felt almost eager to hear the message.  Why the sudden change?  Because as I have listened to the Love Sex & Marriage series, I have been allowing the Holy Spirit to work on my heart.

One of the things that helped me most these past few weeks was to make a decision, as Pastor Ben mentioned, to love my spouse.  I had to change my attitude, my behavior and my commitment not just to bring love to the next level but to actively demonstrate the change to my spouse.  It has made a difference in our relationship.

One of the action steps suggested in the sermon that may not sit well with some but resonated with me is to change our attitudes by naming what is in our hearts.  Looking at ourselves is not easy—especially when we may be full of negative emotions.  God knows they’re there and He loves us anyway.  And as Solomon says in Proverbs 20:5, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”

Our negative emotions are like a warning light on the dashboard of our cars.  If you are in this place right now, I encourage you to look under the hood and see why that warning light is on.  As Pastor Ben mentioned, there are several steps that you can take to start looking at what’s in your heart—seeing a counselor, reading a good book or being in a GROWTHgroup with other imperfect people. They have all helped me tremendously which ultimately helped my marriage. 

Regardless of whether you have a ‘good’ marriage or are in a valley season, aren’t your spouse and your own spiritual health worth the investment to look under the hood? 

DO:  Take the temperature of your own heart.  Is it filled with negative emotions?  Are you blaming your spouse instead of looking at your own attitudes and behaviors?  If so, know that you are not alone in your pain.  Seek help through the church’s care and counseling dept.  Let them help you determine your next right step to navigate the rough water you are in.

PRAY:  Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of Your Son and Your unconditional agape love for me.  Help me to love my spouse unconditionally and see him or her as you see them.  Rid me of any negative emotions that I am harboring in my heart and give me a new heart filled with love and compassion for my spouse and their needs.  Amen.