Christ Centered Marriage

Christ Centered Marriage Christ Centered Marriage. The tragedy that is sweeping the world today is the breakdown of the home. School shootings, teenage out of wedlock pregnancy, drug abuse, abortion, an ever increasing divorce rate, etc., are but symptoms of this breakdown. The one remedy for this unhappy situation is a Christ centered marriage. A Christ-centered marriage is united in Christ. The Christ-centered marriage is one where both husband and wife are united in Christ. A home that is religiously divided will have difficulties. Often there is a tendency for one to compromise Biblical teaching in order to keep peace in the family. The question of what to teach the children becomes a serious problem. Where will the emphasis be in regard to recreation, giving to the Lord's Cause, and involvement in church activities. With which parent will children attend worship services? These are but a few of the problems faced by a religiously divided home. The Corinthian brethren had problems because of religiously mixed marriages. However, both Paul and Peter make it clear that a Christian married to a non-Christian is not a sinful relationship (1 Cor. 7:12-14; 1 Pet. 3:1-6). Yet, keep in mind Jesus' teaching: "A house divided against itself shall not stand" (Matt. 12:25). Jesus also said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33). In view of these considerations, it is always best for a Christian to marry a Christian! A Christ-centered marriage is based on commitment. Jesus' teaching on marriage went back to the "beginning." He said, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Matt. 19:4-9, cf. Gen. 2:24). The word "cleave" means "to adhere to" or literally, "to be glued" to one another. This "glue" is commitment! There is no problem in marriage too great to overcome if two people are truly committed to each other. A Christ-centered marriage is founded on fidelity. The inspired apostle emphasized the importance of fidelity in marriage saying, "Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). Sexual relations outside of marriage is termed "immorality" (NKJV) or "fornication" (ASV) Fidelity in marriage brings happiness to the family. The Wise man instructed, "Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth" (Prov. 5:18). Be assured, Solomon is not talking about the plumbing system in Jerusalem! He is teaching his son the importance of fidelity in marriage. Such faithfulness causes married people to "rejoice." A Christ-centered marriage displays mutual love and respect. Jesus taught and demonstrated love. He said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). The apostle Paul taught, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). He instructed Timothy saying, "Train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children" (Titus 2:4). The kind of love Paul is speaking of is not the perverted, worldly type displayed on the Silver Screen. It is a love demonstrated in both word and deed. It is demonstrated when both husband and wife speak to each other in a kind and courteous manner. This kind of love is demonstrated when words of appreciation and affection are exchanged by husband and wife. It is demonstrated when marriage partners are sensitive and attentive to each other's needs. Little deed of thoughtful kindness and consideration from day to day strengthen the bonds of love. A Christ-centered marriage is one that is built on the life and teaching of Jesus. These are but a few of the fundamentals. While we live in a wicked world where the home is under constant attack, Christ furnishes us with ample instruction so that we might overcome the onslaught of Satan. May we study his word diligently and follow it in order to have a Christ-centered

The Way To A Happy Family

Do you what to have a good family full of love, joy and peace? Start reading, obeying and trusting the word of God, for this is the foundation of a happy family. Remember a good family life is a reward for following and trusting the Lord. Psalm 128:1, 3-4 New King James Version (NKJV) 128 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table. 4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.

TRUE LOVE IS FROM GOD

TRUE LOVE IS FROM GOD. There is no word more frequently repeated in modern speech and song than the word love. But overuse has made the meaning of the word wear thin. To give back to the word love its proper depth, we must raise our thoughts to God, from whom love comes. 1 John 4:7-8 New Living Translation (NLT) 7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. The only possible explanation is that, whether we realize it or not, all human love is really a longing for God. Only God can give that timeless happiness, that perfect satisfaction, that unchanging lovableness, that unfailing faithfulness which men and women are seeking in one another's love, but cannot fully find there. Both the joys and the sorrows of human love show that we are made for divine love It follows that, if human love is to begin to satisfy the heart of man, it must imitate God's love as closely as possible. To be like God's love for us, the love of man for woman must be faithful, unchanging, dependable unto death, must be patient, unwearyingly, forgiving. I wish you the best as you love each other unconditionally.

IN THIS GENERATION, DOES MARRIAGE MATTER?

IN THIS GENERATION. DOES MARRIAGE MATTER? Marriage is the building block of families. Families are the building blocks of communities. Communities are the building blocks of society. When marriages and families break down, so do communities and ultimately society and civilization as a whole. We've seen this pattern before, and we're witnessing it again as this bedrock of society increasingly crumbles. As Jesus Christ Himself said: "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew 19:4-6; quoting Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:24). This is how God designed marriage, when we reject or redefine this pattern, we reap the tragic consequences. Never let yourself be lulled into thinking that marriage doesn't matter! Remember what happened to the people of Sodom an Gomorrah when they tried to change God’s plan of marriage. Marriage matter in this generation as before. Marriage helps us do God’s work better and helps us build relationships with other people.

Don’t Let Bitterness Poison Your Marriage The Bible says in Hebrews 12, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men (which would include your spouse) and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” But what do you do when your spouse hurts you so deeply that you find a bitter root developing within, despite your every effort, and the fact that you know it can hurt more than it can help? Someone once said, “Bitterness is an acid that hurts more the object in which it’s stored than the object on which it is poured.” You may not want to take it in, but you find yourself taking it in anyway. The following are a few thoughts for you to consider: • “When others (including our spouse) hurts us in ways we don’t deserve, at some point we will come to the crossroads of decision. We will have to look our pain square in the face and ask, ‘Am I going to hang on to my anger and do violence to myself, or am I going to forgive those who have wounded me? Am I going to allow bitterness to poison and putrefy my soul, or am I going to invite God to empower me to let the anger go? • The choices we make form the rudder that directs our marriage journey. Good choices keep us sailing smoothly in the right direction. Bad choices steer us toward the rocks. And every day in marriage, choices are made that keep couples headed where they want to go or lead them to places that they dread. • “Listen to these words: ‘We stand at the crossroads, each minute, each hour, each day, making choices. We choose the thoughts we allow ourselves to think, the passions we allow ourselves to feel, and the actions we allow ourselves to perform. Each choice is made in the context of whatever value system we’ve selected to govern our lives. In selecting that value system, we are, in a very real way, making the most important choice we will ever make.’ Benjamin Franklin said this, and his words have more wisdom for married couples than he probably ever knew.” Keep in mind that: In order to thrive, bitterness averts its gaze from God’s grace and mercy, focusing instead on the multitude of ways He and people we’ve counted on have let us down. There probably isn’t any of us would want to choose to hold onto bitterness. But how do you make a different “choice?” To help you with this, we would like to recommend that you read books from other marriage teachers, study the bible and always remember to pray for yourself and your spouse for God’s help. Hopefully, these things, along with what you can read in the Bible, and other articles you can read on marriage from other writers, and most importantly, working through all of this with our Wonderful Counselor, the Holy Spirit, you can better release whatever bitterness you are struggling with. Maybe you can pray the following is a prayer, God “Help me not to hold myself apart from [my spouse] emotionally, mentally, or physically because of unforgiveness. Where either of us needs to ask forgiveness of the other, help us to do so. If there is something I’m not seeing that is adding to this problem, reveal it to me and help me to understand it. Remove any wedge of confusion that has created misunderstanding or miscommunication. Where there is behavior that needs to change in either of us, I pray You would enable that change to happen. As much as I want to hang on to my anger toward [my spouse] because I feel it is justified, I want to do what You want. I release all those feelings to You. Give me a renewed sense of love for him and words to heal this situation.” “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)

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Marriage Restoration Net Work Uganda

We request you always remember Marriage Restoration Network Uganda in your prayers as they minister God's love to the married coupls