2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
1. Invite Jesus daily
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 - Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
A strong marriage isn't two perfect people; it's two imperfect ones holding on to a perfect God.
Revelation 3:20 - ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.’
2. Prioritize
My list of priorities:
- My relationship with God
- My family
- The Kingdom (my church and whatever God has asked me to do)
1 Timothy 5:8 - Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
’Provide’ = pro-noéo (greek) = think first / prioritize
Your family needs more than exhausted time, distracted attention and emotional leftovers.
3. Stay curious
Philippians 3:10 -I want to know Christ
Your spouse is made in the image of God! Meaning there is more to know than you know. You have to start making an effort.
4. Stay intimate
Genesis 2:25 - Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Intimacy is more than being naked in the same bed; it’s being known without being afraid.
Song of Solomon 4:12 - You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
See each other this way. There are still gardens to unlock, springs to enclose, fountains to unseal. But you need to create that space of intimacy, that opportunity to open up and share your hearts without stress or the burdens of daily life.
5a. Wives: don’t let motherhood replace marriage.
Always stay more wife than mother. You will have your kids around for a number of years, but your husband around for life. Don’t forget to invest in your marriage as the kids grow up.
Most divorces happen:
- Year after first baby is born.
- Year after last child moves out.
When it’s time for the kids to leave the house, make sure you’re still excited about the one who is staying behind.
5b. Husbands: Stay romantic
You have forsaken the love you had at first…Repent and do the things you did at first. - Revelation 2:4-5
Whatever you did to GET married, keep doing it to STAY married.
