HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY MARRIAGE
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Do you really want to have a "Happy Marriage". Do you really want to know the secret to marital bliss? God has a blueprint in His Word. The secret is no secret at all, its all there for you to discover and apply.
The following is part one of a series I taught in my days as a Pastor. It works if you work it. It is not a magic formula. It does take effort,but the rewards are,as they say,heavenly! So read on and be blessed.We begin in Ephesians:
Ephisians 5:21--33
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.
31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
KJV
There are two forms of love in the new Testament. Agape and Philo in the original Greek. Agape, you could say, is God's kind of love.
God loves us, because God's nature is love. His love is unconditional -- it's not based on how we act or not towards him.
God's love, unlike man's, is an ever -- giving kind of love, always flowing outwards towards us like an everlasting spring of water. Once we were lost in sin, lost in the darkness of evil and ignorance, and God the Father came seeking us, found us, and loved us without asking for anything in return! Thats agape.
You see, God doesn't love us only when we serve him, when we obey him, or when we worship him, he loves us in spite of everything!
Yes, even when we let him down, ignore him, even curse him. He still goes on loving us. Would you?
However, despite all that, we can, and often do, grieve and displease God. This is through a lack of faith.
Faith pleases God above all else. Faith is responding to His love, His unconditional agape love, and His grace.
This love is illustrated, in human terms, through the institution of marriage -- through the husband and wife relationship.
Jesus Christ represents the husband and the church represents the wife. When the church responds in love and obedience to Christ, he is glorified, and a similar analogy is seen in the human marital situation.
First Corinthians chapter 11 and verse seven, tells us that 'the wife is the glory of her husband.' The husband, like Christ, displays agape -- unconditional -- positive -- out - flowing love towards his wife, and she responds with Philio.
Philio, as I said before, is more like strong affection: a friendship kind of love. A woman greatly desires friendship, companionship, and security. This is Philio love. Ask your wife!
In the Bible, a wife is never commanded to have agape love towards her husband, only Philio. Titus 2:4 for example, says; they had to admonish the young women to love (Philio) their husbands, to love their children, etc. The Greek here is Philio.
On the other hand, when the husband is commanded to love his wife, the Greek word agape is used! "So what" you might say.
Well, men, it means we are to love our wives, just as Jesus Christ loves his church!
We must love our wives. Whether she is as beautiful as a fashion model, or looks as though she could do with some re-modelling, it makes no difference. We must love our wives, it's scriptural, it's God's Word.
Wether they are thin -- fat -- young or old -- hot or cold -- we must love them. "Agape style" i.e ; unconditionally! Just like our heavenly Dad.
Most Christians, especially young ones (young in the faith) love Jesus because he gives to them all the time. He answers all their prayers (especially in the early days of their faith). He indulges them, provides for all their needs, and they respond back to him, because of what he does in Philio love.
The test, though, of a mutual love from a mature Christian, is when you do not love God for what He did or what He does for you, but for who He is!
You love him just because he is your father. You love him even if He never gave you anything again, or even a second glance.
The Scripture says; "though he slay me, yet will I love him". That is mature" agape" love.
In the next part of this message, we will explore in more detail, this vital subject. I will show you, how the Bible, the Word of God, gives us direction in how we can obtain and demonstrate that God kind of love.
One of my favourite popular songs of yesteryear was called "Thats Amore" by Dean Martin. If you think about it,almost all popular songs, and even our culture is centred around our rather limited understanding (not to mention demonstration) of this power.Yes,love IS a POWER.
If you would like to know more about marriage or other vital subjects, based on biblical parameters, you can contact me at my website:
http://kingdompowerministries.blogspot.com and subscribe to or study an ever-growing body of work. Love one another. Stay blessed.
Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com
The following is part one of a series I taught in my days as a Pastor. It works if you work it. It is not a magic formula. It does take effort,but the rewards are,as they say,heavenly! So read on and be blessed.We begin in Ephesians:
Ephisians 5:21--33
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.
31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
KJV
There are two forms of love in the new Testament. Agape and Philo in the original Greek. Agape, you could say, is God's kind of love.
God loves us, because God's nature is love. His love is unconditional -- it's not based on how we act or not towards him.
God's love, unlike man's, is an ever -- giving kind of love, always flowing outwards towards us like an everlasting spring of water. Once we were lost in sin, lost in the darkness of evil and ignorance, and God the Father came seeking us, found us, and loved us without asking for anything in return! Thats agape.
You see, God doesn't love us only when we serve him, when we obey him, or when we worship him, he loves us in spite of everything!
Yes, even when we let him down, ignore him, even curse him. He still goes on loving us. Would you?
However, despite all that, we can, and often do, grieve and displease God. This is through a lack of faith.
Faith pleases God above all else. Faith is responding to His love, His unconditional agape love, and His grace.
This love is illustrated, in human terms, through the institution of marriage -- through the husband and wife relationship.
Jesus Christ represents the husband and the church represents the wife. When the church responds in love and obedience to Christ, he is glorified, and a similar analogy is seen in the human marital situation.
First Corinthians chapter 11 and verse seven, tells us that 'the wife is the glory of her husband.' The husband, like Christ, displays agape -- unconditional -- positive -- out - flowing love towards his wife, and she responds with Philio.
Philio, as I said before, is more like strong affection: a friendship kind of love. A woman greatly desires friendship, companionship, and security. This is Philio love. Ask your wife!
In the Bible, a wife is never commanded to have agape love towards her husband, only Philio. Titus 2:4 for example, says; they had to admonish the young women to love (Philio) their husbands, to love their children, etc. The Greek here is Philio.
On the other hand, when the husband is commanded to love his wife, the Greek word agape is used! "So what" you might say.
Well, men, it means we are to love our wives, just as Jesus Christ loves his church!
We must love our wives. Whether she is as beautiful as a fashion model, or looks as though she could do with some re-modelling, it makes no difference. We must love our wives, it's scriptural, it's God's Word.
Wether they are thin -- fat -- young or old -- hot or cold -- we must love them. "Agape style" i.e ; unconditionally! Just like our heavenly Dad.
Most Christians, especially young ones (young in the faith) love Jesus because he gives to them all the time. He answers all their prayers (especially in the early days of their faith). He indulges them, provides for all their needs, and they respond back to him, because of what he does in Philio love.
The test, though, of a mutual love from a mature Christian, is when you do not love God for what He did or what He does for you, but for who He is!
You love him just because he is your father. You love him even if He never gave you anything again, or even a second glance.
The Scripture says; "though he slay me, yet will I love him". That is mature" agape" love.
In the next part of this message, we will explore in more detail, this vital subject. I will show you, how the Bible, the Word of God, gives us direction in how we can obtain and demonstrate that God kind of love.
One of my favourite popular songs of yesteryear was called "Thats Amore" by Dean Martin. If you think about it,almost all popular songs, and even our culture is centred around our rather limited understanding (not to mention demonstration) of this power.Yes,love IS a POWER.
If you would like to know more about marriage or other vital subjects, based on biblical parameters, you can contact me at my website:
http://kingdompowerministries.blogspot.com and subscribe to or study an ever-growing body of work. Love one another. Stay blessed.
Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com
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HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY MARRIAGE
