Acknowledging His Sacrifices 

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It’s day 33 of the 40 Day Marriage Challenge here at Refocused. 

Today’s challenge is: Recognize ways your husband is giving himself up for you, and thank him for it. 

The devotion based on L.O.V.E: 

L – Log the verse: “He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O -Observations: Jesus gave up his life for the church. Gave up his life. Sometimes I think we skim over the depth of love Jesus has for his church; for us. He loved her to death. He held nothing back. He gave it all. This love is a model for marriage. 

V -Verse’s implications for marriage: Husbands are to live their wives in this way- to use words that evoke her beauty, and bring out the best in her. Ask God to help you see ways your husband is, in fact giving himself up for you.

It is so easy to get caught up in recognizing flaws and disappointments. 

 Are you missing the beautiful ways your husband is sacrificing himself for you? 

It could be small things like going to watch a chick flick with you – or could be like a larger sacrifice like going to your family’s holiday get together instead if his. Thank him when you see him lay down his desires for your sake.

E- End in Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for your bride, the church. You gave it all. You show us how to love each other in marriage. Please help us show our husbands respect by recognizing how they are giving themselves up for us, and thanking them.  Help us never nag them into sacrificing for us. Help our husbands to love us more like you loved the church, and help as radiate your love back onto them. In Jesus name, amen.

The unpopular marital word: Submission 

Marriage

It’s Day 27 of the 40 Day Marriage Challenge here at Refocused! 

Join in with us and let’s finish strong seeking God daily to do more in our marriages.  

Today starts a controversial topic: submission.

L- Log the verse: “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O- observations:The whole passage is really crucial to this verse. 

“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:21-28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In light of the whole passage, what does submission really mean? Have you ever asked the Lord why he ordered our home in this way? Has he ever gently shown you the goodness of submission? 

Who should have the final say in decisions? Should we fight and stand our ground and not soften even if we can’t reach an agreement? 
There’s got to be a plan, some order to this thing. Thankfully, the Lord gave us that. Verse 21 starts us out having a mutual respect. Bending for one another and being compassionate toward each other. 
But… the next few verses show us the ultimate order of the home, created by God and modeled after Christ and the church. 

“As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.” Ephesians 5:24

V- Verse’s implications for marriage: Don’t be your husband’s Holy Spirit. If he doesn’t agree with you on something, that’s OK. Share your heart about it with him. If you are in a hard cycle of communication heed the Holy Spirit’s advice on how to communicate.

God is FOR your marriage!  

If you can’t reach an agreement let your husband move forward with what he thinks. Really try and love him well and see from his point of view. 

The goal is ONENESS in marriage. All other goals or reasons behind your point of view should be secondary.

Trust God’s design for marriage. Trust his sovereignty, the ability to work out every detail. He is faithful all the time even if you feel like you have the “short end of the stick.” Ask him to show you how that is a LIE, and to show you how blessed you are.

End in Prayer: Lord, Thank you for the gift of marriage. Thank you for being a beautiful picture of biblical submission by giving yourself up for your bride, the church. Please take away any negative connotations of submission. Please change our hearts and show us how beautiful submission in marriage can really be. Help us to trust your design for marriage. Bless all of the marriages represented reading these words. Grow them in more and more oneness in you. 

 In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Declare Jesus is Lord over your marriage 

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It’s Day 20 of the 40 Day Marriage challenge here at Refocused Bible Study. 

Today our challenge is: 
Declare Jesus is LORD over your marriage 


Devotion pattern based on L.O.V.E.

I challenge you to journal the verse this way yourself. See what the Lord speaks to you about your marriage. He is so personal and good! 

L- Log the verse: “and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O – Observations- Jesus is LORD 

V- Verse’s implications for marriage- Is Jesus Lord over my marriage? Am I bowing and kneeling before Him and placing my most important earthly relationship at His feet? Am I verbalizing that Jesus is ALL POWERFUL- able to demolish every stronghold and destructive pattern? That He is my Savior, my husband’s Savior, and if He saved us for eternity, then He can make something beautiful here and now? Do I believe Jesus is FOR my marriage and He wants to do a NEW THING – even if things are “good,” He wants to transform us further? 

E – End in Prayer – Lord, we confess aloud that You are LORD over our marriage. With you, all things are possible. Please help my husband and I kneel before you and ask you to create greater oneness in you than we have now. Bring us even closer together. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen. 

Here’s the next 10 days of the Challenge: 


I hope you’ll join us! Try the devotion pattern and let me know what the Lord shares with you. Praying for you, 

Amy 

Marriage’s Larger Purpose: Glorifying God

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It’s Day 17 of the 40 Day Marriage Challenge here at Refocused Bible Study. 

Day 17 
L- log the verse – “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O – observations – Jesus humbled himself in obedience to the Father, and therefore, God exalted Him. 

V – Verse’s implications for marriage- Are we following Jesus in humility in our marriage? 
This is so hard, I can attest to it this week. I dropped my phone into the bathtub, and it started a wave of stress. (Who can live without a phone in 2017?) Apparently, it’s possible, because I just did, for four days. Yes, I survived. 
Survived, yes. Passed God’s test of humility and acting like Jesus in the process; fail. Sisters, I mean I failed with flying colors. I could not take it when my husband very gently said something about being more careful next time!
So what is our next step in the process when we mess up and don’t act like Jesus? 
We praise Him for dying for us and giving us another chance. We rise up off our knees in repentance and ask Him and our husband to forgive us, and we walk forward. 
>>>A thousand little choices of humility add up to a marriage you can be proud of.>>> 

Giving credit to Jesus for every humble choice. >>>

Taking ownership of every poor decision or emotional reaction and seeing the beauty of his blood bought forgiveness pouring through your marriage like a rushing river. >>> 

E – Ending prayer – Lord, please bless the marriages represented reading these words. Be glorified and lifted high above any other name. May your name be known through our marriages. When people hear our last name, representing us as a couple, may they quickly associate us with the name of your Son, Jesus. May our marriages be known in our sphere of influence as a couple who has built a life on your Word. Be lifted high in and through our marriages, in Jesus’ name, Amen.