“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm 66:18-19 (ESV) Sin is an offense to God. Sin is absent in heaven and yet fully present on earth. Sin saturates the landscape of life on this broken planet. The curse of sin can only be reversed through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. When a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, sin is removed and the righteousness of Christ is imputed. The new Christian is placed positionally right with God. Without purity, there is no power in prayer. As a child of God, it is imperative to stay close and clean by confessing sin instantly and receiving God’s forgiveness intentionally. You have to combat the impact of memory. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3 ESV). David had to navigate the reality of his memory. Even after confessing his sin of adultery and murder, he had to acknowledge that his sin was ever before him via memory. What hinders prayer? The most vicious impediment to prayer is sin. Sin violates the covenant relationship you have with God. Sin grieves the heart of God and quenches the Spirit of God living in you. Husband, when you do not live with your wife in an understanding way, your prayers are hindered. “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7 (ESV) The purity of your relationship with God and the purity of your relationships with others has a direct impact on the effectiveness of your prayer life. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Marriage
Categories
Make Room for Marriage
“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (ESV) Being selfish requires no effort. Selfishness comes naturally to us. If we aren’t careful, we will operate our lives on the assumption that life revolves around us. Being self-centered and self-absorbed is the antithesis of marriage. In the marriage relationship, the husband and wife must release selfishness and embrace selflessness. The husband is to love his wife as he loves himself. The wife is to respect her husband. In his book, Love and Respect, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs identifies what he calls the Crazy Cycle: “When a husband feels disrespected, he has a natural tendency to react in ways that feel unloving to his wife. When a wife feels unloved, she has a natural tendency to react in ways that feel disrespectful to her husband.” Our culture is not marriage-friendly. The pace of life and the demands on our time can strain a marriage relationship. As a partner, you have to make room for marriage. You have to conscientiously and intentionally make room for the one you love. In order to have a healthy, vibrant, and growing marriage, you have to create space for the relationship. It takes time to nurture a meaningful relationship with your spouse. Busyness is the prominent enemy to intimacy. We divert our energy to parenting, to our career, to recreation, and to other things to the neglect of our marriage relationship. It is so easy to neglect the sacred union God calls us to with our spouse. We can give our best to others and give our spouse the crumbs. That’s a recipe for an unhealthy marriage. Remember, you will make room for what you value! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (NIV) Be the most amazing and fulfilling source of romance for your spouse. Stay spiritually fit and physically fit. Learn your spouse’s primary love language by reading Dr. Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages. Make intentional deposits into your spouse’s emotional love tank. Communicate understanding. Resolve conflict. Place his or her needs before your own. “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4 NIV). In his book, His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage, Dr. Willard Harley identifies the top five needs of men as: sexual fulfillment, recreational companionship, an attractive spouse, domestic support, and admiration. The top fives needs of women are: affection, conversation, honesty and openness, financial support, and family commitment. Dr. Willard Harley has found that marriages that fail to meet a spouse’s needs are more vulnerable to an extramarital affair. Next time you are tempted to look beyond your spouse for romance, ask yourself this question, “Will this decision honor God and benefit my family and our future?” Another good question to ask, “Will this decision allow us to finish together?” “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.” Prov. 4:25 (NIV) “Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Prov. 4:26-27 (NIV) Extend the love you have received from God to your spouse. Choose to extend the grace you have received from God to your spouse. Celebrate your differences. Honor God and finish together. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Avoiding Adultery
“‘You shall not commit adultery.’” Exodus 20:14 (NIV) Is it possible to fall in love, get married, stay married, and finish together? Is longevity a possible reality in marriage? I imagine you have wondered why the success rate is so low. The Bible teaches that God values marital fidelity. God is pro-marriage and pro-family. However, nothing destroys a family faster than adultery. Adultery happens in the mind before it happens in the bed. Adultery violates God’s plan for the marriage relationship. God has given you a drive called sex. Properly controlled and expressed within the confines of marriage, it is beautiful and fantastic and brings honor to God. Outside of marriage, sex is destructive and detrimental. God designed sex for procreation and pleasure intended to nurture intimate love. The Bible says that sex is for marriage only – not before marriage, not outside of marriage. What is God’s guardrail for marital fidelity? Do not commit adultery! Avoid adultery. Don’t cheat. Be faithful. Honor your marriage vow. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.” Prov. 5:15 (NIV) “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” Heb. 13:4 (NIV) Your spouse is the only legitimate source of romance in your life. Dr. Adrian Rogers used to say, “In temptation, Satan seeks to get you to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.” Satan seeks to get the two who have become one, two again. Guard your heart. Confess sin instantly. Walk in the Spirit. Yield to the Lordship of Christ. Don’t look beyond your spouse. Submit to one another. Serve one another. Honor God with your life, your lips, and your loyaty. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Canopy of Commitment
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV) It is a miracle that marriage works. Think about it for a moment. Six people come to the marriage altar: who she thinks she is, who he thinks she is, and who she really is, then who he thinks he is, who she thinks he is, and who he really is. The complexity of each person comes together in holy matrimony to form a bond of one flesh. We bring our baggage to the marriage altar. Our past, our hurts, and our hang-ups come with us. Our uniqueness, our personality, and our personal preferences come with us. By the grace of God, the two become one. In temptation, Satan seeks to get the two who have become one, two again. How do you finish together? What does it take to overcome obstacles and to finish together? Commitment! For marriage to navigate the night and to dodge the devil, it requires commitment. In order to triumph through trials and to overcome obstacles, it requires commitment. As my pastor, Dr. David Fleming, says, “A marriage that works is work. It’s not right to ask God to bless a marriage that you are not committed to.” Commitment is the adhesive God blesses to enable you to finish together. Don’t become weary. Keep making deposits in your spouse’s life. Keep honoring Jesus by extending the love and respect that your spouse so desperately needs. Sow seeds that God can water and at the proper time you will reap a harvest. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (NIV) A few years ago Tonya and I participated in the Love and Respect Conference led by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. Dr. Emerson identified what he called the Crazy Cycle. During conflict in marriage, we tend to act in unloving and disrespectful ways. The wife has a love tank and the husband has a respect tank. When a wife doesn’t feel loved by her husband, she will by nature respond by being disrespectful towards him. When a husband doesn’t feel respected by his wife, he will by nature respond by being unloving towards her. How do you get off of the Crazy Cycle? Somebody has to go first. Because of our fallen nature, we tend to be selfish and self-centered and actually prefer that our spouse go first. The one who sees himself or herself as the most mature moves first. Now that’s convicting! Dr. Eggerichs shared with us that respect empowers a husband to energize his wife and that love empowers a wife to energize her husband. The wife is crying out for love and the husband is crying out for respect. Doing marriage God’s way involves making the move to get off of the Crazy Cycle. Go first! If you are a husband, then honor Christ by choosing to be loving towards your wife. If you are a wife, then honor Christ by choosing to be respectful towards your husband. Showing love and respect flows out of our abiding relationship with Christ. We have the capacity to love and respect because Jesus is our Source. Jesus enables us to do what He did. Love unconditionally and respect intentionally. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” Gen 2:18 (NIV) God created us for relationship. The first “not good” in the Bible is connected to aloneness. God created us for companionship. We do better together. God designed us to be relational, not robotic. God’s desire is for us to be rightly related to Him and rlghtly related to each other. God created Eve to complete Adam. Adam transitioned from “me” to “we” and from “mine” to “ours” in response to God’s gracious creation activity. God knew what Adam needed most! Adam needed companionship. As you read God’s Word, you will discover that the Bible is the story of God’s relationship with His creation and their relationship with each other. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21 (NIV) “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV) Satan is anti-relationship. Satan is anti-companionship. Satan is anti-family. The devil does not want you to be in a right relationship with God and he does not want you to be in a right relationship with others. Don’t allow the enemy to keep you from enjoying a loving relationship with God and with others. You are made for relationship. If you are battling aloneness, ask God to bring some life-giving relationships into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm 66:18-19 (ESV) Sin is an offense to God. Sin is absent in heaven and yet fully present on earth. Sin saturates the landscape of life on this broken planet. The curse of sin can only be reversed through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. When a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, sin is removed and the righteousness of Christ is imputed. The new Christian is placed positionally right with God. Without purity, there is no power in prayer. As a child of God, it is imperative to stay close and clean by confessing sin instantly and receiving God’s forgiveness intentionally. You have to combat the impact of memory. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3 ESV). David had to navigate the reality of his memory. Even after confessing his sin of adultery and murder, he had to acknowledge that his sin was ever before him via memory. What hinders prayer? The most vicious impediment to prayer is sin. Sin violates the covenant relationship you have with God. Sin grieves the heart of God and quenches the Spirit of God living in you. Husband, when you do not live with your wife in an understanding way, your prayers are hindered. “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7 (ESV) The purity of your relationship with God and the purity of your relationships with others has a direct impact on the effectiveness of your prayer life. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 132: Psalms 65-67, 69-70) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (NIV) Be the most amazing and fulfilling source of romance for your spouse. Stay spiritually fit and physically fit. Learn your spouse’s primary love language by reading Dr. Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages. Make intentional deposits into your spouse’s emotional love tank. Communicate understanding. Resolve conflict. Place his or her needs before your own. “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 NIV). In his book, His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage, Dr. Willard Harley identifies the top five needs of men as: sexual fulfillment, recreational companionship, an attractive spouse, domestic support, and admiration. The top fives needs of women are: affection, conversation, honesty and openness, financial support, and family commitment. Dr. Willard Harley has found that marriages that fail to meet a spouse’s needs are more vulnerable to an extramarital affair. Next time you are tempted to look beyond your spouse for romance, ask yourself this question, “Will this decision honor God and benefit my family and our future?” Another good question to ask, “Will this decision allow us to finish together?” “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.” Proverbs 4:25 (NIV) “Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:26-27 (NIV) Extend the love you have received from God to your spouse. Choose to extend the grace you have received from God to your spouse. Celebrate your differences. Honor God and finish together. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Avoiding Adultery
“‘You shall not commit adultery.’” Exodus 20:14 (NIV) Is it possible to fall in love, get married, stay married, and finish together? Is longevity a possible reality in marriage? I imagine you have wondered why the success rate is so low. The Bible teaches that God values marital fidelity. God is pro-marriage and pro-family. However, nothing destroys a family faster than adultery. Adultery happens in the mind before it happens in the bed. Adultery violates God’s plan for the marriage relationship. God has given you a drive called sex. Properly controlled and expressed within the confines of marriage, it is beautiful and fantastic and brings honor to God. Outside of marriage, sex is destructive and detrimental. God designed sex for procreation and pleasure intended to nurture intimate love. The Bible says that sex is for marriage only – not before marriage, not outside of marriage. What is God’s guardrail for marital fidelity? Do not commit adultery! Avoid adultery. Don’t cheat. Be faithful. Honor your marriage vow. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.” Proverbs 5:15 (NIV) “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” Hebrews 13:4 (NIV) Your spouse is the only legitimate source of romance in your life. Dr. Adrian Rogers used to say, “In temptation, Satan seeks to get you to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.” Satan seeks to get the two who have become one, two again. Guard your heart. Confess sin instantly. Walk in the Spirit. Yield to the Lordship of Christ. Don’t look beyond your spouse. Submit to one another. Serve one another. Honor God with your life, your lips, and your loyaty. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Canopy of Commitment
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV) It is a miracle that marriage works. Think about it for a moment. Six people come to the marriage altar: who she thinks she is, who he thinks she is, and who she really is, then who he thinks he is, who she thinks he is, and who he really is. The complexity of each person comes together in holy matrimony to form a bond of one flesh. We bring our baggage to the marriage altar. Our past, our hurts, and our hang-ups come with us. Our uniqueness, our personality, and our personal preferences come with us. By the grace of God, the two become one. In temptation, Satan seeks to get the two who have become one, two again. How do you finish together? What does it take to overcome obstacles and to finish together? Commitment! For marriage to navigate the night and to dodge the devil, it requires commitment. In order to triumph through trials and to overcome obstacles, it requires commitment. As my pastor and best friend, Dr. David Fleming, says, “A marriage that works is work. It’s not right to ask God to bless a marriage that you are not committed to.” Commitment is the adhesive God blesses to enable you to finish together. Don’t become weary. Keep making deposits in your spouse’s life. Keep honoring Jesus by extending the love and respect that your spouse so desperately needs. Sow seeds that God can water and at the proper time you will reap a harvest. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (NIV) This past weekend Tonya and I participated in the Love and Respect Conference led by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and hosted by our church family, Champion Forest Baptist Church. Dr. Emerson identified what he called the Crazy Cycle. During conflict in marriage, we tend to act in unloving and disrespectful ways. The wife has a love tank and the husband has a respect tank. When a wife doesn’t feel loved by her husband, she will by nature respond by being disrespectful towards him. When a husband doesn’t feel respected by his wife, he will by nature respond by being unloving towards her. How do you get off of the Crazy Cycle? Somebody has to go first. Because of our fallen nature, we tend to be selfish and self-centered and actually prefer that our spouse go first. The one who sees himself or herself as the most mature moves first. Now that’s convicting! Dr. Eggerichs shared with us that respect empowers a husband to energize his wife and that love empowers a wife to energize her husband. The wife is crying out for love and the husband is crying out for respect. Doing marriage God’s way involves making the move to get off of the Crazy Cycle. Go first! If you are a husband, then honor Christ by choosing to be loving towards your wife. If you are a wife, then honor Christ by choosing to be respectful towards your husband. Showing love and respect flows out of our abiding relationship with Christ. We have the capacity to love and respect because Jesus is our Source. Jesus enables us to do what He did. Love unconditionally and respect intentionally. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” Gen 2:18 (NIV) God created us for relationship. The first “not good” in the Bible is connected to aloneness. God created us for companionship. We do better together. God designed us to be relational, not robotic. God’s desire is for us to be rightly related to Him and rlghtly related to each other. God created Eve to complete Adam. Adam transitioned from “me” to “we” and from “mine” to “ours” in response to God’s gracious creation activity. God knew what Adam needed most! Adam needed companionship. As you read God’s Word, you will discover that the Bible is the story of God’s relationship with His creation and their relationship with each other. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21 (NIV) “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV) Satan is anti-relationship. Satan is anti-companionship. Satan is anti-family. The devil does not want you to be in a right relationship with God and he does not want you to be in a right relationship with others. Don’t allow the enemy to keep you from enjoying a loving relationship with God and with others. You are made for relationship. If you are battling aloneness, ask God to bring some life-giving relationships into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Spiritual Markers
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.” Proverbs 18:22 (NIV) Today is my 20th Wedding Anniversary. Tonya and I met our Junior year at Louisiana College. She was a captivating cheerleader and I was an observant student! God brought us together in His perfect timing and allowed us to come into a covenant relationship before Him in marriage on January 5, 1991. God gave me the most amazing godly woman to become my wife and I have truly received favor from the Lord. She has consistently embodied the love of Christ and the heart of Christ. Doing life together as one for the past two decades, Tonya and I have come to know God’s faithfulness by experience. Through each of the transitions we have navigated together, the faithfulness of God has been the glue to keep us firmly connected. I am reminded that in temptation, Satan seeks to make the two who have become one, two again. Satan seeks to divide that which God has united. The faithfulness of God has enabled us to weather the storms of life and to maneuver through the rugged terrain of our fallen world. We have experienced major victories together, walked through pain together, and grown in the classroom of parenthood together. Through it all, our daily intimacy with the Lord has fortified our faith and fashioned our family. As Tonya and I celebrate this major spiritual marker in our marriage today, we are overwhelmed with gratitude to God for His faithfulness. We have never known such love. To God be the glory! Take a few moments to reflect on the spiritual markers in your life. Trace God’s hand of providence in your past. Thank Him for making Himself known to you personally. Affirm the reality of His abiding presence in your life. Express your gratitude to God for the spiritual markers He has established in your past and for the spiritual markers He has positioned for your future. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Make Room for Marriage
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Eph 5:33 (NIV) Being selfish requires no effort. Selfishness comes naturally to us. If we aren’t careful, we will operate our lives on the assumption that life revolves around us. Being self-centered and self-absorbed is the antithesis of marriage. In the marriage relationship, the husband and wife must release selfishness and embrace selflessness. The husband is to love his wife as he loves himself. The wife is to respect her husband. In his book, Love and Respect, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs identifies what he calls the Crazy Cycle: “When a husband feels disrespected, he has a natural tendency to react in ways that feel unloving to his wife. When a wife feels unloved, she has a natural tendency to react in ways that feel disrespectful to her husband.” Our culture is not marriage-friendly. The pace of life and the demands on our time can strain a marriage relationship. As a partner, you have to make room for marriage. You have to conscientiously and intentionally make room for the one you love. In order to have a healthy, vibrant, and growing marriage, you have to create space for the relationship. It takes time to nurture a meaningful relationship with your spouse. Busyness is the prominent enemy to intimacy. We divert our energy to parenting, to our career, to recreation, and to other things to the neglect of our marriage relationship. It is so easy to neglect the sacred union God calls us to with our spouse. We can give our best to others and give our spouse the crumbs. That’s a recipe for an unhealthy marriage. Remember, you will make room for what you value! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
His Greatest Need
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Eph 5:33 (NIV) The husband’s greatest need is respect. God created the man with the innate need to be honored and respected. Wife, your husband needs to know that you respect him. You may be thinking to yourself, “But, I don’t respect my husband.” Maybe he is not living in a manner deserving a response of respect. Maybe your husband has not earned your respect. You choose to respect your husband because of your reverence for Christ. You communicate respect to your husband not based on his behavior or based on how he treats you, but in response to your love relationship with Jesus. Whether your husband deserves your respect or not is not the issue. Are you willing to meet your husband’s greatest need because you are willing to honor Jesus? Prime the pump by taking the initiative to show respect to your husband out of reverence and obedience to Christ. As you show respect, you will be priming the pump for love to flow from him to you. If your husband refuses to take the initiative to communicate love to you, then be the first to get the water flowing by showing respect. Ask God to give you the grace you will need to meet your husband’s greatest need. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Her Greatest Need
Marriage is God’s idea. He ordained it. He designed it. 1. God created us in His image. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Gen 1:27 (NIV) 2. In marriage, the two become one. Satan attacks this spiritual union by seeking to make the two who have become one, two again. Satan’s goal is to infuse suspicion, isolation, and insecurity. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Gen 2:24 (NIV) 3. God created the woman with the innate need for love and intimacy. Her greatest need is to be loved. The wife needs to know that her husband loves her. Intimate love moves beyond the surface and seeks to communicate understanding and validate feelings. God commands the husband to love his wife unconditionally. “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself…” Eph 5:33a (NIV) When the wife’s greatest need goes unmet, loneliness and resentment begin to germinate. Husband, God expects you to love your wife as you love yourself. God’s expects you to prime the pump by taking the initiative to communicate love to your wife. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
How would you define love? Is love a verbal expression, an act of kindness, or a gift extended to another? Is love being willing to do what you do not enjoy in order to benefit someone else? Is love a natural flow from a heart that is full? “‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’” John 13:34 (NIV) “‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’” John 13:35 (NIV) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV) “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 (NIV) “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (NIV) “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (NIV) God’s Word to the husband is for you to love your wife. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Eph 5:25-27 (NIV) Jesus is the model to follow. Jesus defined love by His willingness to die for the church and to rise again for the church. He gave His life so that we could live with Him eternally. Jesus is the ultimate portrait of unconditional love. “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” Eph 5:28 (NIV) Husband, do you love your own body and care for it? Just as Jesus loves His Body, the church, you are to love your wife as you love your own body. Loving your wife is not based on her performance. You don’t love your wife in response to her meeting your needs. You love your wife intentionally and unconditionally as a result of your love relationship with Jesus. Any adjustments needed? There’s always room for improvement. I’m feeling this one! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Does your husband deserve your submission? Has he earned it? Does he treat you in such a way as to warrant your response of submission? Are you motivated to submit to your husband? These are painful questions if you bypass the intent of God’s revealed Word. “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” Eph 5:22 (NIV) In the language of the New Testament, the verb is supplied in verse twenty-one and implied in verse twenty-two. The verb is the word, submit. It means to arrange under. This vital word is not a statement of value or worth, but rather of God’s order. God has arranged the home to reflect God’s order. Your value has already been established by the completed work of Jesus on the cross. “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” Eph 5:23-24 (NIV) God’s Word to the wife is that she submit to her husband as to the Lord. Because of your right relationship with God you are to willingly submit to your husband. Your submission is not based on your husband’s behavior but on your growing relationship to Christ. You choose to submit to your husband because you have chosen to revere Christ. Your submission is a direct reflection of your devotion to Christ and your obedience to Him. God knows your situation. He created the one you are married to. God knows what you need and He always has your best interest in mind. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care