So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
--Genesis 1:27
I am blessed to have a happy marriage, but it’s not from my own knowledge. God’s Word is the finest marriage manual available. After all, God established the home.
So, if you are trying to understand your spouse, open God’s Word. 1 Peter chapter 3 deals specifically with the roles and relationships between husbands and wives.
The first step to understanding your mate is to realize that we are different. Men and women are not just physically different, but also emotionally and spiritually different.
Men and women express themselves differently, handle emotions differently, respond to crisis differently, view marriage differently, and on and on.
Why are we so different? God made us that way. According to today’s verse, “male and female he created them.”
God is full of infinite variety and creativity. Nothing that God made is exactly the same. And husbands and wives are no exception. From the beginning, men and women have always been equal, but they have NEVER been the same.
How does this apply to your marriage? In marriage we must affirm and accept this diversity. Understand your uniqueness; accept one another. Don’t waste so much time trying to change your mate.
It is not your job to change your mate, it is God’s. It is your job to love your mate.
Tell your spouse what makes them special and unique.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Colossians 3:15–17
There have been times through the years when I’ve had to call someone into the office to correct them about something in their job performance. Perhaps it was an assigned task they had failed to carry out, or a job they had not accomplished in an acceptable manner. I’ve never found those conversations to be particularly fun. I don’t enjoy having them, and people don’t enjoy having things pointed out that they need to improve. But correction is vital because without correction, nothing ever improves.
And this is not just something for employers or parents or pastors. Paul tells us that Christians in the church are to admonish—to warn or correct—each other. This is something most of us just don’t want to do. We worry that people will think we are being Pharisees or judgmental or cruel, so we remain silent rather than speaking up. But all of us have blind spots, and we need people in our lives who are willing to step forward and take the risk to admonish us when we need to be corrected.
The key to admonishing in the right way so that it is effective is found in the first part of the verse—God’s Word must richly dwell in our own hearts before we are competent to admonish others. Those whose minds are filled with the Bible will correct only things that need correcting, and do so in the right spirit.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Be willing to speak out in love to help those who are in danger of going astray.
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