This Marriage Insight is titled, “Marriage Gift and a Christmas Bonus.” We named it this because we’re going to give you the best marriage tip we can give you. It is a true gift, if you receive it with the spirit in which it is given. But you must apply it also to receive the benefit we hope you will gain. And then after the tip, we will point you to a Christmas Bonus that you can use to enjoy in your marriage (plus with family and friends) during this Christmas season.
A Marriage Gift then a Christmas Bonus
So here’s the best marriage gift we can give you. This comes from our hearts to yours. It’s one we know to be true by experience. We have found that the closer we are to Jesus, the closer we are to each other. It just comes naturally. If we truly love Jesus, He will give us a supernatural love for our spouse that goes beyond anything this world has ever seen. It is LOVE like no other …pure and simple.
Here’s something that Gary Thomas wrote that further expands upon what we are trying to say here:
“I refer to my wife as my ‘God thermometer.’ If I wake up and discover that I am not moved by the miracle of her life and love for me; if I am not cherishing her and honoring her, I look up and do a heart check with God. The fact is, God knows my wife far better than I do. And He cherishes her.
“The closer I grow to Him and the more time I spend communing with Him, the more He will share with me His heart for my wife. I’ve come to learn that the state of my marriage has as much to say about my relationship with God as it does about my relationship with my wife.” (From the article, The Transforming Miracle of Marriage.)
This is true of wives, and it is true of husbands. The closer we are to God, the closer we will naturally grow towards our spouse.
Drawing Close to Jesus
Of course, this is not the reason why we draw close to Jesus. It is a personal commitment with no strings attached. We draw close to Jesus because we know there is no other way to live. As Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is how we will know true love, like no other. This is how we love, one-on-one, and then it spreads from there. The benefit is that as we draw close to God, He will put His love into us for our spouse in ways we never dreamed possible. Steve and I know this from first-hand experience. Even if your spouse doesn’t return true love to us… we are secure in giving God’s lavish love.
If you long to know God in a deeper way, please go to:
Loving As Jesus Does
Or perhaps you have a spouse who doesn’t know God in a personal way and you are struggling to love him or her, as God would have you. Here is a link to one of our topical pages where you will find quotes, testimonies, links to additional web sites and resources, plus many helpful articles to assist you:
Perhaps you are not married yet, but you long to be. Please, draw all the closer to God as you pray for His will to be done in your life. And if God has someone for you to share your life with, the following prayer is a good one to pray. A single man wrote it many years ago. It is still relevant today. “Lord, help me to find a spouse who loves Thee, because then I know in my heart they will love me.” And if you need a little more help to know the type of person you should marry, perhaps the following link will help you. It is one of the topics we have available for those who are:
But above all, whether you are single, or married, as you draw closer to Jesus you will know how He would have you live your life. And please know that the principles for loving are the principles for living, which we can find throughout the Bible. Above all, pray, search, and apply and you can’t go wrong!
And now our CHRISTMAS BONUS!
Every year we offer to everyone a Christmas Bell that we put together to use for your festivities. This is your Christmas bonus. There are games, quizzes, coloring pages, puzzles and New Year Celebration Ideas that are linked within this bell. You can use them for quieter times or for larger gathering of those you love. And they’re all free for the taking. Just print up as many as you can use. So, go to this link and see what you can use:
We pray this is helpful. May God bless and keep you as you draw closer to Him than ever before.
Cindy and Steve Wright
Filed under: Marriage Insights