21/11/2014 Today’s Meditation: Philippians 2:4-8 Your Marriage Your Destiny 9 Marriage: The Mindset of The Founder 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others Phi 2:4. Let no one seek his own, but each one the others well –being 1Cor 10:24. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil 1Cor 13:4-5. Another principal ingredient of a correct home is pliability. Correct husbands and wives are flexible and bendable. In the home there must be compromises and ground shifting. The compromise in the home is not compromising the Christian faith or stand in God. But in decision making and family choices, both the husband and wife must make sacrifices and forgo their preferences for the good of the family. Every man goes into marriage with his/her personal sentiments; every man has his likes and dislikes. For example a couple resulted into serious arguments which degenerated into pounding one another because of toothpaste tube. The husband was of the opinion that the tube should be pressed from the bottom but the wife’s thinking was that the most important thing is for toothpaste to be on the brush. Each time the wife used the paste before the husband and she pressed it from the middle, there is a problem. The husband was accusing the wife of not taking to correction; the wife thinks the husband was unreasonable and proving too difficult. The inability of both of them to shift ground on mundane things such as toothpaste tube destroyed their home. The greatest enemy of unity in any relationship is “I”. In the home where “I” is strong, peace will be weak. Once each partner sees things from personal perspective rather than from collective viewpoint, there will always be problems. Unfortunately, man is naturally selfish and the home is the place of absolute display of this selfishness. More than ninety percent of all conflicts in the home are traceable to selfishness - the inability of both partners to see things from the angle of the spouse. As long as couples are not ready to compromise their stands on family issues, the peace of that family will inevitably be compromised. Any man who is not bendable should not marry. Marriage will either bend a man or break him. Those who refuse to bend in marriage will ultimately break in it. If you want to make one out of two pieces, there will be a lot of bending. For instance, put two electric wires beside one another and try to make one out of the two. You will realize that it is possible because of the malleability of the wires. But put a dry rod together with a wire a try the same thing. You will discover that the wire will make a spiral ring around the rod. The rod is rigid and stiff. Separation is more pronounced in that case than togetherness. That is the perfect illustration of a home where “I” is standing strong. To form an inseparable unit from two individuals, both of them must be ready to forgo all the mundane habits or sentiments they have grown up with. Even religious sentiments can put asunder what God has joined together. For example, the husband prays quietly and silently but the wife shouts and shakes, blowing tongues and calling fire. If they are not careful, that alone can destroy the harmony of the home. Sentiments apart, shaking and shouting does not add to prayer neither does being stiff and silent. The main matter is for both of them to be sure they are communicating with God. That is the reason why every young person must ensure that he/she does not marry a stranger or a person whose life is a direct opposite of his/hers. The knowledge of the person you want to spend the rest of your life with is very crucial; you must know each other well. The time for this is the courtship time. That is the time when it is expected of you to open up and discuss each other’s likes and dislikes. Rather than doing this under the watchful eyes of a competent courtship coach, youths of today will rather be seen aimlessly moving from “Mr. Big” to “Tantalizer” ; from concert to cinema, always busy but doing nothing. When the courtship time is wasted, the marriage will suffer. If you are in courtship, preparing for marriage, do you have a coach? Who is your coach? Who is the person, monitoring and mentoring your relationship? I have said this before, I will say it again; secret courtship will lead to open regrets. Beloved, what is the guiding principle in your home? Is it “I” or “we”? if it is “I”, you do not need a prophet to know that the crises in that home has no end until the “I” is destroy in both of you. There is no question of who should bend for who; both of you must be ready and willing at all time to bend. It is either you are bending in marriage or you are breaking. The breaking in most cases is in the heart. Why must you continue to suffer unwarranted heartbreak because of personal ego? Why not shift ground and allow peace to reign. Kill the “I” and save the home! The King of Glory with His Glory will reign in your home from today in Jesus name. The yoke of darkness is permanently broken today in your home in Jesus name. I command peace to cover you home from today as water covers the sea in Jesus name. Have a blessed day in His love. Shalom!
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 05:23:47 +0000