Tag Archives: marriage

Daily Bible Reading “Husbands Love Your Wives” (Colossians 3:19)

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Husbands Love Your Wives

Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Colossians 3:19. Colossians 3:19: “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”

Do you find it funny that in the same Scripture that talks about husbands loving their wives also tells them not to be bitter against them? Do you think this may be a problem? We are going to look at those two words, love and bitter, to see what they mean, according to the Blue Letter Bible Dictionary.

Love:
To welcome
To entertain
To be contented with
To be well pleased with
To be fond of
To love dearly

Bitter:
To render anger
To be indignant
To be embittered
To be irritated
To grieve
To deal bitterly with

This particular Scripture is for husbands, but it would probably do us all good to take heed to its instruction. Sometimes in the husband-wife relationship, with the trials of life, if we aren’t careful we can let bitterness, anger, and discontentment creep in.

The husband-wife relationship is one of the most important relationships we have here on this earth, besides our relationship with the Lord. How we interact with each other is an example to our children as to how they should interact with others.

Sometimes we have more patience and tolerance with our friends or co-workers than we do with our own families. When we live in the house day after day with people, over time it is easy to take them for granted. Sometimes the smallest things will start to get on our nerves and we will lose our patience with each other. We need to be alert as to how we treat each other.

In our minds, if we go back to the day we were married. Remember some of the reasons we fell in love to begin with. It is a good idea to write some of the things we love about our spouses and read them occasionally to remind ourselves why we fell in love and why we chose this person to share our life. Also, as time goes on and we mature in our relationships, the relationship may change, but the underlying reasons for love are still there.

We need to remember we aren’t promised tomorrow and we never know what the future may bring in our lives and in our homes. Try to remember this Scripture and strive to love more and to be less bitter.

 

Things to think about:

  • What are some of the definitions of love?
  • How do you practice love?
  • What are some of the definitions of bitter?
  • How do you show bitterness in your marriage?
  • How can we make our relationships better?

 

Prayer of the Day:

Dear God,

As we read this Scripture we see the importance of loving each other and not being bitter against our spouses. Help us, Lord, as we live, to practice this principle. Help us to be more loving. Help us to be less angry, bitter, intolerant, and irritated. Help us to show a Christ-like love for our spouses. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

 

Daily Bible Verse:

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. – Colossians 3:19

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–Excerpt from God Is Love ~ Deborah H. Bateman

 

 

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Featured Book:

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God Is Love

by Deborah H. Bateman

About the book:

God is Love is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman. It contains 19 daily devotionals on Scriptures about love from the Bible: including God’s love for us, the love relationship between a husband and wife, love and honoring our parents, and much more.

This devotional would be great for either a personal daily devotions or group Bible studies, including small groups, and Sunday school classes. Each devotional contains a brief commentary by the author, the daily Bible Scripture, a prayer of the day, and several questions for personal reflection or group discussion.

In God is Love, Deborah strives to show you not only what love is, but that love comes from God, as well as the love of God surpasses all imagination. Her goal for you as you read this book is that you would realize how much God loves you.

Benefits of reading God is Love
• You will learn what love is
• You will learn about different kinds of love
• You will learn how much God loves you
• You will learn of the sacrifice made by God because of His love for you

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Have a blessed day,

Deborah

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Daily Bible Reading “The Husband-Wife Relationship” (Ephesians 5:17-33)

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The Husband-Wife Relationship

Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Ephesians 5:17-33. As we continue the study of the book of Ephesians, Paul talks about the husband-wife relationship and their relationship with God. Paul starts by telling us not to be unwise. We need to understand what the will of the Lord is. What do you think Paul means by that statement?

Paul tells us not to be “drunk with wine”; alcoholism will ruin your life. Not only will it cause you to make bad decisions, it will cause you to waste a lot of money. It will also cause you to ruin your relationships. Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

Instead, we are to be filled with the Spirit, speaking in psalms, hymns, singing, and making music in our heart to the Lord. Doesn’t that sound like a joyful person? We are to give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of His precious Son, Jesus Christ.

Being filled with the Spirit is the opposite of being drunk with wine. Wine depresses you and causes you to make bad decisions. The Spirit stimulates you to do well, be happy, and make good decisions.

We are to submit to each other out of reverence to God. One of the definitions of submission is a voluntary attitude of cooperating. Submission isn’t something you are made to do, but it is something you do out of a willing heart.  Wives are to submit themselves to their husband, as unto the Lord.

Paul compares the husband-wife relationship to Christ’s relationship with the church. As Christ is the head of the church, the husband is the head of the wife. It is a matter of a God-given order of authority.

The church is submissive to Christ, and wives are to be submissive to their husbands in everything. Notice the Scripture doesn’t say in “some things”; it says “everything.” It seems like the idea of submitting is hard for the women of today to accept. If you’re a wife, pray and ask God to help you to learn to submit to the authority of your husband.

We read in the Scripture how Paul talks about husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church and gave up His life for it. If husbands love their wives in that way, it will be a lot easier for the wives to submit to them.

The Scripture says that husbands are to love their wives as they love their own bodies and that he who loves his wife loves himself. If you are a husband, pray and ask God to help you to love your wife the way God intended for you to love her.

The husband is to take care of his wife, lead her to maturity in Christ, and cherish her with tender love. The Bible says that a man is to leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. The two of them will become one flesh this is where marriage comes in. The Scripture says the husband is to love his wife as himself and the wife is to revere or respect her husband.

As special as the husband-wife relationship is, no one can take the place of Christ in your life. Notice, that this Scripture compares the husband-wife relationship to Christ’s relationship with the church. Christ is the head of the church. As Christians we are to submit to Him, as our Lord and Savior.

For those of you who aren’t yet Christians, I hope this example of the husband-wife relationship will help you to better understand the relationship of Christ to His people. If God is speaking to your heart concerning your relationship with Him, pray and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart and life today.

 

Daily Bible Reading:

Ephesians 5:17-33

17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

 

Thing to think about:

  • How does this Scripture say the husband is to treat his wife?
  • How does this Scripture tell us the wife is to treat her husband?
  • How does the husband-wife relationship compare to the relationship of Jesus Christ to the church?
  • How has this lesson comparing the husband-wife relationship being to Christ relationship to the church impacted your life?

 

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we read this Scripture in the book of Ephesians; help us to follow the guidelines that are set before us concerning the husband-wife relationship, so that we might have happy marriages. Help us as Christians, to love, honor, and respect You as the head of the church. For those who aren’t yet Christians, I pray they will accept You as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name, we pray. We love You, LORD. Amen.

 

Daily Bible Verse:

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as …

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himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

– Ephesians 5:33

 

Featured Book:

The Book of Ephesians: Paul’s Letter to the Church at Ephesus

by Deborah H. Bateman

The Book of Ephesians: Paul’s Letter to the Church at Ephesus is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman. It is a study of the book of Ephesians from the New Testament of the Bible. Ephesians is one of the Apostle Paul’s letters, which was written to the church at Ephesus.

In the book of Ephesians Paul reminds us that we are chosen of God. He encourages us to walk in unity in the church. He talks about our various relationships including our relationship with Christ, with each other, the husband-wife relationship and others. He also exhorts us to put on the full armor of God so that we are clothed for battle against the enemy.

The Book of Ephesians: Paul’s Letter to the Church at Ephesus consists of twelve lessons, which can be used for an individual daily Bible study or a group Bible study. Each lesson consists of a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions for contemplation called, “Things to think about,” and a prayer for the day.

For those of you interested in Bible journaling, may I suggest you pick your favorite Bible verse from each lesson and journal about it. This will be a great reminder of the lessons you learn as you read and study this book.

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Have a blessed day,

Deborah

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Daily Bible Reading “God’s Timing is Perfect” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

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God’s Timing is Perfect

I wanted to share with you about one of the trials of my life. I started praying for a Christian husband when I was a teenager, even though I was much too young to get married. I actually dated my husband for the first time when I was sixteen and he was twenty. I was too young and immature so we just had one date and that was it.

About two years later he called me and we started dating and six months later we got married. Things have not always been easy. With our love for each other, our faith in God and our determination to stay together we have now been married for over forty years.

We were only been married for a few months when we decided we wanted to have children, but that was not God’s plan for us at the time.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

It took us two years to get pregnant. We were so excited. We had been trying to get pregnant for two years and now we finally were expecting a baby. At three months we had a miscarriage. We were heartbroken.

I experienced so much emotion. I felt like there had been a death in the family and there was, except I felt like I was the only one mourning it. It was a very sad time for me. I would get upset when I found out other people were pregnant, especially if I thought they did not deserve to be. I acted like I was a judge. Who was I to judge who did or did not get pregnant? It was not up to me. God is the giver of life.

The doctor told us to wait a few months before trying to get pregnant again. We did, but had no idea that it would take so long. I went through all kinds of emotions over the next few years. It took us four years to get pregnant the second time. We were excited this time too, but a little apprehensive. We were scared we would miscarry again. Sure enough after three months we miscarried for the second time. We were heartbroken all over again.

We will always love and remember those two little ones. We lost both of them in the month of March, so every year we talk about how old they would be if they had lived. They will have a place in our hearts and lives forever.

This time the doctor did not tell us we had to wait. I am sure he thought that he did not have anything to worry about since it took so long before. The next month we got pregnant for the third time. We were scared the whole time. We were afraid to get excited. We had been hurt before and did not want to get hurt again. Once we passed the three-month time-table we started to relax a little.

We finally gave birth to our first daughter after eight years of being married and trying to get pregnant most of that time. God finally blessed us with a child. Four years later we had our second daughter. God completed our little family. Our two daughters are both grown now and God has blessed us with five grandchildren. God makes everything beautiful in His time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”

I would love to tell you that life has been a basket of roses since that time, but we have had other trials to face. One thing I can tell you for sure, that no matter what trials we had to face, God has always been there to see us through them all.

We have learned so many lessons over the years. We learned that things don’t always happen when we want them to happen. We learned that God’s plans are not always the same as our plans. We have learned that God is faithful to His children.

We learned that God’s timing is perfect. #DeborahHBateman

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We learned that God works all things together for good in our lives.

Romans 8:28, KJV, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

If you have experienced infertility and miscarriage as we did, ask God to help you with all the emotions that come along with a loss of this kind. Ask God to comfort your heart. He loves you and only wants the best for you. I know it might not seem like it at the time, but He does love you. Give the situation over to God and ask Him to help you deal with it. Ask God to show you His will in your life. Ask God to help you accept His timing for your life.

My prayer for you is the same as Paul’s prayer for the Philippians in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

I pray that God will meet the need that you have in your heart to have a child. I realize that this is a desire that most women have in their lives, even though not everyone is able to have children. But, there are other options such as adoption and foster care for those who want to make a difference in a child’s life while filling their need to have a child to love in their home.

May God richly bless you!

Maybe this is not the need you have in your life. Maybe you have a need in another area. Remember the same principles apply, God love you and wants the best for you in your life. Turn your cares and concerns over to Him and let Him carry you through this time in your life.

Have a blessed day,

Deborah

God’s Timing is Perfect was originally published on Still Birthday at:http://stillbirthday.com/2011/09/04/gods-timing-is-perfect/