Weekend Kindness
Reaching Others Through Kindness

If you’re a girl, or you’ve dated a girl, no doubt you’ve seen a chick flick.  All romance, sometimes partly comedy, these films are part of the reason that people believe what they do about marriage and love today.

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Marriages are a partnership.  In every partnership there are two people.

So far, nothing new…

The point is that for any partnership to succeed, both of the people have to be working toward the same goal.  When the two of you were dating, you were both working toward the same goal– the goal of learning about each other and figuring out if the person that you were with was the person you wanted to spend your life with.

When you got married, you both were working together to start a married life together.  You were learning about each other and you were learning how two people live together in the same house.

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Part of the problem today with marriage is that it is being devalued by a umber of things, not the least of which is the idea that a couple can get together without being married and have all the “benefits” of marriage.

While purity is something that should be pursued by both people in a relationship, traditionally the woman has held control over a relationship, insisting on a commitment before providing the companionship.

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STRENGTHEN YOUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR MARRIAGE.

Marriage is not a contract. It is a covenant, made before God and witnesses. Marriage is not a fuzzy feeling of love. It is a commitment. It is a commitment to build a godly marriage that is a picture to the world of Christ and His bride. It is a commitment to build a family and raise a godly seed. It won’t always be easy. It’s hard work. But we are committed to the task. We take no notice of difficulties. We are not daunted by problems. We keep on with the task, because we are committed to a vision of building a godly generation. We are not concerned only with the present, but with the future, and the generations to come. We have no thought of quitting because we know that it would affect not only our children now, but also the generations to follow. We keep pressing on toward the goal, pushing through the mountains of difficulties, as we trust in our God.

Got any rivers you think are uncrossible?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible!
He can do what no other can do!

God is for your marriage. He will be with you to make it strong and precious. There may be times when the tide goes out on your marriage. When the tide goes out, you see all the ugly things on the beach. When the tide goes out on your marriage, the ugly things loom large. But don’t despair. Don’t look at the rubbish. Look to the Lord. There is a divine law I want to remind you about. The tide ALWAYS COMES IN AGAIN! If you are going through a tough time, hang on to God. The tide will come in again with love and blessing and reconciliation.

~Nancy Campbell~

SEPARATE EVIL FROM YOUR MARRIAGE.

Keep your marriage and your home a pure place for the habitation of the Lord. Don’t allow the filth of the world to creep in. It can happen so easily. Don’t watch immoral movies together. You’ll have a limited selection, but be strong about this. When you sit and watch immorality and filth, you condone it, you deaden your conscience, you negatively affect your marriage and you defile your home. Oh, one of the saddest things I hear from wives as I speak to them all over the country is the grief and lament that their husbands are glued to the TV and many of them are involved in pornography. Oh how I grieve. Pornography is destroying thousands of marriages.

Keep your marriage bed holy. Just because you are married does not give you license to do kinky things. True intimacy in the sexual act can be gloriously satisfying without trying other things. I like this statement from Matthew Henry. “Those who keep themselves pure in times of common impurity, God will keep safe in times of common calamity.”

Don’t bring death to your bed. Most contraceptives either kill newly formed life, or kill the sperm that holds the potential of future life. The Pill, IUD, Depo-Provera, and Norplant are all abortifacients. They cause the death of a newly formed human being. Keep your bed holy.

Ezekiel 44:23 says, “And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”

~Nancy Campbell~

SANCTIFY YOUR MARRIAGE WITH PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING.

None of us are exempt from trials. We all face hard times in our marriages. What do you do? Grumble and groan? Complain and criticize? Talk negatively and nastily. Oh it is so easy to do this, because this is how we feel. But here’s the secret. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Thank Him. Trust Him. All your groaning and blaming one another will not solve the problem. God is your Deliverer! You can trust Him. Learn to hang on to God and look to Him as your source. Don’t trust in your husband’s ability alone, but in the Lord.

Make it your habit to pray and praise the Lord together daily. If you pray daily together, you’ll keep free from “the little foxes that spoil the vines” that eat away at your marriage. Make your home a house of prayer and thanksgiving. Matthew 18:19 is a wonderful promise for married couples. “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” Notice these words – “If two of you…” The two of you together can claim great power and miracles in your relationship and in your home as you faithfully pray together.

And never forget the exhortation in Ephesians 4:26, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” If you have an argument or get upset with one another, don’t act like a baby and put on the silent treatment. Sort it out. Say “I’m sorry.” Forgive one another. Never go to sleep until you have restored the relationship. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

~Nancy Campbell~

SWEETEN YOUR MARRIAGE.

Ouch! This is a challenge to me. If I start to get a little harsh, Colin will say, “Come on, Darling, be sweet to me.” And I do have to be reminded! But he never lets me get away with sharp words. He always pulls me up to be gentle and sweet.

How do you sweeten your marriage? With words – sweet words, soft words, encouraging words, cheerful words, positive words, helpful words, supportive words, kind words, wise words, forgiving words, loving words, pleasant words and life-giving words. You can’t miss having a successful marriage if you put this secret into practice!

I am always challenged by Song of Solomon 4:11 where the Bridegroom speaks to the bride and says, “Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue.” What drips from the honeycomb? Sweetness! What kind of words drip from your tongue?

A dear friend called in this morning and shared this quote with me: “People turn their best side out: they are delightful in company, but snarly at home. There they give vent to their dissatisfaction, their temper, their grouch. They are scent-bottles abroad, vinegar-bottles at home… To be a Christian at home one must learn to ‘keep sweet’.”

Your words will gradually kill your marriage or they can keep it alive with love. It’s your choice. Proverbs 18:21.

~Nancy Campbell~