April 29-30, 2006, Selected

HOME SECURITY!

24 Hour Monitoring!

EVERY MARRIAGE IS ALWAYS EITHER GROWING TOGETHER OR
GROWING APART!

*** Proverbs 24:3 "Homes are built on the foundation of wisdom and understanding."[Today’s English Version]
*** Phil. 1:9 "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight..."[New International Version]

A GOOD MARRIAGE TAKES SKILL AND EFFORT!

HOW TO MONITOR YOUR MARRIAGE AND KEEP IT GROWING 24 HOURS A DAY:

1. KEEP ON PAYING ATTENTION!

*** 1 Cor. 7:32-34 "I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you're unmarried, you're free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. [33] Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, [34] leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God." [The Message Bible]

HOW DO WE PAY ATTENTION?

A. TIME! Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Max
*** Ecc. 9:9"Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your...life. Each day is God's gift... Make the most of each one!" [MB]

B. LISTENING! Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Max
*** James 1:19 "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..." [NIV]
*** Proverbs 18:13"Answering before listening is both stupid and rude." [MB]

C. CARING! Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Max
*** 1 Peter 3:7 "You husbands must be careful of your wives, being thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God's blessings, and if you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not get ready answers." [Living Bible]
*** 1 Cor. 12:25 "He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others." [Contemporary English Version]

2. KEEP ON MAKING ADJUSTMENTS!
*** 1 John 3:18 "Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions."[New Living Translation]

THE KEY TO MAKING ADJUSTMENTS IS MAKING THEM TOGETHER!

*** Mark 3:25 "A home filled with strife and division destroys itself." [LB]

HOW DO WE SUCCEED AT MAKING ADJUSTMENTS?

A. OWN UNSELFISHNESS! - NW……….OK
*** Phil. 2:4 "Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing." [NLT]

B. OPEN COMMUNICATION! - NW……….OK
2. Matthew 12:36 "Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously."[MB]

C. PRACTICE FORGIVENESS! - NW……….OK
*** Col. 3:13 "Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." [LB]

3. KEEP ON SHOWING AFFECTION!
*** Romans 12:10 "Love each other with genuine affection..." [NLT]

A. INTELLECTUAL INTIMACY!

B. EMOTIONAL INTIMACY!

C. SOCIAL INTIMACY!

D. SPIRITUAL INTIMACY!

E. PHYSICAL INTIMACY!

*** 1 Cor. 7:3 "The husband should fulfill his marital duty [off-il-lay = obligation] to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband." [NIV]
*** Rev. 2:4b-5a "The love you had at first is gone. Remember how far you have fallen. Return to me and change the way you think and act, and do what you did at first." [God’s Word to the Nations]

WHICH OF THESE FACTORS DO YOU NEED TO TAKE?

4. KEEP ON GIVING AFFIRMATION!
*** Eph. 4:29 "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." [NLT]

A LOT OF LITTLE DIGS WILL BURY A MARRIAGE!

*** Hebrews 3:13 "Encourage one another daily..., so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." [NIV]

Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Max

YOU’VE GOT EVERYTHING TO GAIN AND EVERYTHING TO LOOSE!

5. KEEP ON LOOKING ABOVE!

*** Col. 2:6-7a "As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in him. Keep your roots deep in him and have your lives built on him. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught..." [NCV]

HOW MANY "BARS" ARE YOU? _____

*** Proverbs 18:22 "Find [BE] a good spouse, you find a good life - and even more: the favor of God!" [MB]