Participants:
Series Code: BTLP
Program Code: BTLP000101A
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00:38 Hello, and welcome to Behold the Lamb presents.
00:41 I'm Chris Shelton, your host. 00:42 And I'm so thankful that you have chosen to tune in 00:46 for another Bible study with myself, 00:48 and Pastor Kenny Shelton today. 00:51 Today's message is entitled, "Improve Your Marriage." 00:56 And it's number nine in this lovely study guide, 00:58 that is entitled, 01:00 "Sharing God's Love Makes You Happier, 01:02 What the Bible says?" 01:03 Brother Richard Bland, from United Prison Ministries, 01:07 put this together. 01:08 And we liked it so much, 01:10 as we've said in previous programs, 01:12 that we decided to do an hour study 01:15 on each one of these Bible lessons 01:17 that are in here. 01:18 And in the very back, 01:19 for those of you who may be tuning in 01:21 for the very first time, 01:22 there are actually, I haven't counted them, 01:26 but there's several stories 01:27 all the way from Genesis to the Book of Revelation, 01:31 with all the references so you can go and say, 01:33 "I wanna know about Lord 01:35 or I wanna know about Daniel in the lion's den." 01:38 You can look in the back, 01:39 and there's a quick reference guide right there. 01:41 So with every program that you choose to purchase, 01:44 or to donate a love gift to the ministry 01:47 'cause we really don't sell anything, 01:49 but we ask for a love gift for these programs. 01:51 We're gonna send you one of these free 01:53 every time you call and order one of these messages. 01:57 And again, I mentioned that today's title is, 02:00 "Improve Your Marriage." 02:03 Improve Your Marriage, you know, years ago 02:05 someone told me that marriage is a work. 02:08 And, of course, being young you think of work, 02:11 that doesn't make sense. 02:12 'Cause we're always thinking about marriage 02:14 as being some type of euphoria, 02:16 just real excitement, true happiness, 02:19 finding the right person, until reality sets in. 02:24 And you're married, 02:26 and things just aren't exactly the way you think. 02:28 And I remember coming to the conclusion, 02:30 you know, what? 02:32 They were right. 02:33 Marriage is a work, and, you know, 02:35 we can find guidelines in the world. 02:38 Other programs that may help to build a good marriage, 02:43 but there is only one moral absolute, 02:46 and that's the Bible. 02:47 So we're so thankful and grateful 02:49 to be able to open up God's Word, 02:51 and read some of what God has for His people. 02:55 And I truly believe that 02:57 if we would just follow God's guideline, 02:59 and we implement His guideline 03:02 in the love that He wants us to implement it with, 03:05 then our lives would be so much happier. 03:08 Our homes would be, 03:10 it would have the atmosphere of heaven. 03:12 And I know that you would want that in your home, 03:15 your children would be happy, your spouse would be happy. 03:18 I know, I'm happier 03:20 when I can feel God's presence in my home. 03:23 So I hope you'll stay tuned as we have this Bible study 03:26 entitled again, "Improve Your Marriage," 03:28 with Pastor Kenny Shelton. 03:30 But first as always, 03:31 we're blessed to go the 3ABN Worship Center, 03:36 and we're gonna listen to a song 03:37 that is entitled "Satisfied." 03:40 And it will be sung by Donna Shurley and Jack Crosby. 03:50 All my life long I had panted 03:55 For a drink from some cool spring 04:01 That I hoped would quench the burning 04:06 Of the thirst I felt within 04:11 Hallelujah, I have found Him 04:16 Whom my soul so long has craved 04:22 Jesus satisfies my longings 04:27 Through His blood I now am saved 04:35 Feeding on the husk around me 04:40 Till my strength was almost gone 04:45 Longed my soul for something better 04:50 Only still to hunger on 04:55 Hallelujah, I have found Him 05:01 Whom my soul so long has craved 05:06 Jesus satisfies my longings 05:11 Through His blood I now am saved 05:19 Poor I was and sought for riches 05:24 Something that would satisfy 05:30 But the dust I gathered round me 05:35 Only mocked my soul's sad cry 05:40 Hallelujah, I have found Him 05:46 Whom my soul so long has craved 05:51 Jesus satisfies my longings 05:56 Through His blood I now am saved 06:04 Well of water ever springing 06:09 Bread of life so rich and free 06:15 Untold wealth that never faileth 06:20 My Redeemer is to me 06:25 Hallelujah, I have found Him 06:31 Whom my soul so long has craved 06:36 Jesus satisfies my longings 06:41 Through His blood I now am saved 06:46 Hallelujah, I have found Him 06:52 Whom my soul so long has craved 06:57 Jesus satisfies my longings 07:02 Through His blood I now am saved 07:07 Through His blood I now am saved 07:25 Thank you for joining us today here at Behold the Lamb. 07:27 We very much appreciate 07:29 all of your letters, your cards, 07:30 and you know, just sending in a letter of appreciation, 07:33 or with questions that you might have. 07:35 We do our very best to get back with you, 07:37 I've often said, 07:38 I'm pretty slow with everything that's going on. 07:40 But don't get discouraged, 'cause if you don't get, 07:42 you know, answer to your question, 07:44 you can always write again, you can always give a call. 07:46 We really need that contact. 07:48 Thank you for your love, your prayers, and your support 07:50 to help get this message around the world. 07:52 Today, we're gonna be talking about, 07:54 I think, it's a very, very interesting subject. 07:56 Some of you will say, well, I don't, 07:57 I'm not qualified for it, 07:59 or I don't know anything about it. 08:00 But after we study the Word of God, 08:01 I think, you'll understand a little better, 08:03 as I do, after all these years of marriage. 08:05 We're gonna be talking about marriage, 08:06 and "Improve Your Marriage," that's the subject today, 08:10 "Improve Your Marriage." 08:12 And I wanna make it clear before we begin, 08:15 before I have prayer. 08:16 What I'm talking about here, we're talking about marriage. 08:19 We are just talking about improving your marriage, 08:24 improving it. 08:26 We're not talking about, lot of people 08:27 who may be having some real difficult times in their lives, 08:30 that'll be a little different, 08:32 you know, subject and different material 08:33 that would be on there. 08:35 We're talking about somebody who just says, 08:36 "I have a pretty good marriage, I have a good marriage." 08:39 But regardless there are ways to improve that good marriage. 08:44 And so, if you're looking for ways to improve it, 08:46 we're gonna be studying that from Word of God. 08:47 We're glad that you joined us. 08:49 Let's pray together, shall we, 08:50 as we study the Word here before we study it. 08:54 Loving Father in heaven, 08:55 we truly thank You for the prayer 08:56 which we have to study Your Word. 08:58 We thank You for the power 08:59 of Thy Holy Spirit has promised to, 09:01 where two or three are gathered together 09:02 in my name. 09:03 Lord, we just ask for the blessing to come, 09:05 for those need to hear, 09:07 those who would be encouraged by it, 09:09 and to maybe even save a marriage today. 09:10 Lord, you know who it is, 09:12 and, you know what needs to take place, 09:13 we leave it in your care and your keeping. 09:15 Ask for forgiveness of any sin, 09:17 anything that would separate us from heaven, 09:18 we need to hear it from heaven. 09:20 We need to hear Your voice, not man's. 09:22 May we stand behind the word today, 09:23 and give you praise in Jesus' name, amen. 09:28 Always good to have your Bible, pencil, and paper, 09:30 so you can jot some things down 09:31 as we move as, you know, fast as we can. 09:33 Three or four minutes already passed by 09:34 in just kind of the opening, and there's a lot to cover. 09:37 I mean, how can you really cover topic, 09:39 subject like marriage maybe in 45 minutes or less? 09:42 How can you really do that? 09:43 There's so much in scripture 09:45 that deals with having a marriage, 09:47 and what marriage is all about. 09:49 So I think no one probably doubts 09:53 that a marriage can be confusing at times. 09:56 There are things that maybe we encountered 09:58 that we didn't intend to, 10:00 we didn't really realize we would get involved, 10:02 maybe that deeply, or we didn't realize 10:04 what we're gonna get involved with? 10:07 And it can be confusing at times. 10:08 There's this little story, I wanna just go over, 10:10 I thought was very, very interesting. 10:12 And this story is about an eight-year-old boy. 10:14 I thought as, you know, an eight-year-old, 10:17 seven, eight-year-old, 10:18 they have got things going through their mind too. 10:21 And this eight-year-old boy came to his... 10:23 We call his girlfriend. 10:24 You know, younger and younger, 10:25 when I was seven, eight years old, 10:27 if somebody said you have a girlfriend, 10:28 that was all, "Oh, man, absolutely, 10:30 there's denial every time." 10:31 Nine and ten years old, you have a girlfriend, 10:33 even though I might have, it was denial every time 10:35 because it's like, "Well, you're not supposed to have, 10:36 you know, girlfriends too young, 10:38 somebody's gonna laugh." 10:39 But this young man had a girlfriend, 10:41 and so he asked his eight-year-old girlfriend. 10:44 He said, "You know what? 10:45 I think we ought to get married." 10:47 Well, you know, two eight year olds 10:49 deciding they're going to get married. 10:50 And boy, I'm telling you, 10:52 she asked him and, you know what she just said? 10:54 She turned him down cold. 10:57 Well, he couldn't believe it, heartbroken. 11:00 "What do you mean, you turned me down? 11:01 I thought we could get married." 11:03 She said, "No, we can't get married." 11:04 "Why?" 11:06 "Well, because in my family," she said, 11:08 "Only relatives marry." 11:13 He said, "I don't understand that. 11:15 Only relatives marry in your family? 11:17 What... What does that mean?" 11:19 What does that have to do with us? 11:21 I don't understand it." 11:22 He said, "Please explain it to me. 11:25 What do you mean by that?" 11:27 She said, "Well, if me and you were relatives, 11:29 we could get married." 11:32 He thought, "I still don't understand, 11:34 I need more information." 11:35 But "Since we are not, we can't get married." 11:38 He said, "Please explain some more of what do you mean?" 11:42 She said, "Well, in my family, let's take for instance, 11:45 my family, my daddy married my mother. 11:52 My grandpa married my grandma." 11:56 He said, "What?" 11:58 And she said, "Can you believe it? 12:00 All of my uncles are, 12:01 they're all married to my aunts." 12:05 He said, "Wow." 12:06 So you see, we're not relatives, 12:08 we can't get married. 12:14 If we were relatives, we could." 12:17 Sometimes there's things that crop up 12:18 that we don't quite understand in life, 12:21 and even though someone tries to explain them to us, 12:23 we still, we haven't quite got it together. 12:27 This was the understanding of an eight-year-old. 12:31 This other little comment, a couple of lines I think, 12:35 it's very, very interesting, 12:36 and this is a wedding that took place 12:38 many, many years ago. 12:40 And I like to think in terms of, 12:41 I call myself a hillbilly, if that's all right. 12:44 Now people say, "You come from the south, evidently, 12:46 because you have this draw, you have this accent." 12:48 And so it's okay, you can call me redneck, 12:50 if you want. 12:51 Call me hillbilly if you want, it doesn't matter. 12:53 But this kind of took place way down in Kentucky 12:55 years and years ago. 12:57 And they had just a little bit of an accent, 12:58 and said the words just a little bit different, 13:00 but it was interesting. 13:01 They, there's two people who came together, 13:03 and they wanted to get married. 13:05 And they didn't want a long drawn out wedding, 13:07 they want to get to the point, I do, let's... 13:09 That's it, you know. 13:11 And so they came together, got the preacher, 13:13 and they asked the preacher, the preacher ask the bride. 13:15 He said, "Do you take this man for better or worse?" 13:19 Kind of interesting. 13:21 "Would you take this man for better or worse?" 13:23 Bride said, "I take him as he's." 13:29 Preacher said, "What?" 13:32 "I take him as he's." 13:35 He said, "What do you mean by that?" 13:37 Bride said, "Well, he couldn't be no worse. 13:42 And there's really no hope of him getting any better. 13:46 So I take him as he's." 13:54 Maybe smart. 13:57 You go a lot of different directions with that, 13:59 but sometime we take each other as we are. 14:07 "I take him as he is." 14:11 Today, we talk about, this subject 14:13 is so, so important. 14:17 Improve your marriage or really to make it better 14:20 that we talked about. 14:23 Can that really take place? A person said... 14:26 I mentioned the other night on the program, 14:27 just made a little comment. 14:30 He said, well, person once said, 14:32 "The grass is greener where you water it." 14:36 The grass is what? 14:37 Greener where you water it. 14:40 So I'm asking today, 14:41 maybe we should do some watering 14:43 in our own backyard. 14:47 And there's a lot of watering that we can do. 14:49 Your grass may be somewhat green, 14:51 and it may be okay, 14:52 as far as referring to your marriage maybe, 14:55 but it can be greener. 14:57 It can be richer. 14:59 There's things that can be done 15:01 to make it the way God would like for it to be. 15:06 And studying for this, 15:08 I thought, it was very interesting. 15:09 It's found that counseling, you know, psychoanalysis, 15:13 they call it, you know, counseling. 15:14 Counseling is good in a lot of, lot of areas. 15:16 You can gather a lot of good points. 15:18 You know, I like my counsel naturally from the Word of God. 15:20 But there's counseling, there's things, 15:22 there's points that can help if we can pick them 15:24 and they all gel with the Word of God. 15:26 But you know what? We find this. 15:28 It's good, counseling is really, 15:30 it works well sometimes 15:31 for people with personal issues. 15:35 But listen to this, but when it comes to marriage, 15:39 it's shown to be a failure. 15:42 You say, "Well, how does that...?" 15:43 Because most people go to marriage counselor, 15:45 they have problems in marriage, they go to counseling. 15:49 It's interesting, 'cause it talks about divorce. 15:52 It's interesting. 15:53 How long has marriage counseling really been around? 15:57 Well, marriage counseling as a profession 16:01 has been around for over 100 years. 16:03 That means where they might get paid for it, 16:04 or that's their job, and that's... 16:06 They're gonna help out couple of people who can't get along. 16:09 It's been around for a very long time, 16:12 but the divorce rate since that's been around, 16:14 the divorce rate has went up 300%. 16:17 Now that's my argument. 16:19 You say, "Well, counseling is good, it's got to be," 16:20 but why is the divorce rate then went up 300%? 16:24 Maybe there's something lacking, you see, 16:26 that we're looking for today to improve our marriage, 16:30 your marriage. 16:33 How do we improve? And how could it be improved? 16:35 Can it really be improved 16:36 and does it really need to be improved? 16:38 Most people will say, it does need to be improved, 16:40 even though they are having all kind of maybe problems, 16:43 they don't want to admit that there can be some improvement. 16:47 And when you ask a man or a woman, 16:50 and they give their opinion, it's interesting, 16:53 sometimes the man sees himself completely different 16:55 than the wife sees him. 16:56 And the wife sees, you know, vice versa. 17:00 They just see things differently in their spouse, 17:04 they see it differently in their marriage 17:06 they just see things differently. 17:08 And some time, it's really completely different, 17:12 to where there seems no way out. 17:15 I always thought, and I always thought, 17:16 marriage is... 17:18 When you got married, it was a happy occasion. 17:19 Everybody seemed to be happy, everybody got dressed up. 17:22 And, you know, they had all these goodies, 17:23 and people went, 17:24 and people were taking pictures. 17:26 And people were smiling, and everybody wanted to go, 17:28 and people would dress alike. 17:29 And they spent a lot of money, 17:31 and it's supposed to be a happy time. 17:32 And so as I grew up 17:34 thinking marriage would be a happy thing. 17:35 So I wonder today, if we're thinking about, 17:37 what did you think about when you were young, 17:39 especially the girls. 17:40 I may not, really, a long time in my life 17:43 I ever thought about marriage now. 17:47 But, you know, lot of times a lot of young ladies, the girls, 17:49 they think 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, they start thinking about, 17:52 when they grow up, and when they get married, 17:55 and how the marriage is going to be, 17:57 and how many children we are going to have 17:59 and they plan a lot. 18:03 Did it really turn out the way that you planned? 18:06 Did your dream really find fulfillment? 18:11 Sometimes, marriages are in trouble. 18:15 And the average couple 18:18 wait at least six years before they go to find help. 18:23 If a marriage is in trouble 18:25 in the first year or second year, 18:27 and you're waiting six years, 18:28 there's a lot of trouble that's built up. 18:31 But this is on an average, six years before seeking help. 18:37 In six years, the honeymoon phase 18:42 is probably over. 18:44 It shouldn't be, but many times it is. 18:50 And that's where division, separation and problems begin, 18:54 because we no longer hold each other in esteem 18:56 as we did in the beginning. 19:00 We no longer feel the same way. 19:02 We get occupied 19:03 with a lot of things of this world. 19:07 So the honeymoon phase would be over for some, 19:12 and that committed relationship that you said, 19:14 "I've committed my life to this person has faded." 19:19 It's not like it was. 19:20 And it becomes very obvious that there are certain problems 19:27 about sharing your life with another person. 19:31 Your life seemed pretty simple when you were by yourself. 19:33 Now you're sharing it with someone else, 19:35 and you thought that they kind of was thinking 19:37 the way that you, 19:39 you know, the way you thought about things. 19:41 But as time goes on, 19:43 all of a sudden thoughts are different, 19:45 going down other roads, 19:49 and you begin to say, I begin to say, 19:51 she begins, somebody begins to say, 19:53 we're thinking a whole lot different 19:54 than we used to. 19:57 See, Paul speaks to the church 19:59 in this verse in 1 Corinthians 10, 20:01 if you have your Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 20:05 he's speaking to the church, but I want you to know 20:07 how this can speak to your life and my life. 20:09 Remember, we have to think about the Word of God. 20:12 There's a lot of people in the world that they say, 20:14 they have a happy marriage, it's a good marriage, 20:16 they don't have God in it, you wonder how it can be? 20:19 But yet, is it how God would have that marriage to be. 20:23 Can you have a real marriage without God in it 20:25 and following God's counsel? 20:27 This is the big challenge. 20:29 We need God's Word, we need His counsel. 20:32 This is where we go for counseling, 20:34 but notice this verse that Paul talks about 20:37 in 1 Corinthians 1:10, 20:40 he says, "Now I beseech you, brethren, 20:42 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 20:45 that ye all," what? 20:46 "Speak the same thing, 20:50 that there would be no divisions among you, 20:52 but that ye be perfectly joined together 20:56 in the same mind and in the same judgment." 21:00 We realized where his mind was going, 21:01 and he was talking as to the church as a group. 21:04 But I think individually, 21:07 if you want to improve your relationship, 21:08 or your marriage, 21:10 or relationship with one another, 21:12 or your friends, 21:13 this would be good counsel to follow right here. 21:15 Sometime we need to be speaking, 21:17 especially in the marriage, 21:18 we need to be speaking the same thing. 21:21 There needs to be no division in the home, 21:23 you can have no division 21:24 when it comes to raising children. 21:26 You can't have division 21:27 when it comes to likes and dislikes, 21:29 and where he goes and where she goes, 21:31 there has to be some kind of a unity 21:32 that comes together in this 21:34 so that things can be worked out, 21:35 that would be pleasing. 21:37 And that can happen if we have the, 21:38 if we're joined together, 21:40 and we have the same mind, 21:41 and wind up having the same judgment. 21:44 That sound like perfection, doesn't it? 21:46 We need that. 21:48 Think about in a marriage, 21:49 if we had this very same judgment 21:53 that your companion had, 21:54 if you had the same mind, 21:56 boy, it'd be easy to get along with yourself, wouldn't it? 21:59 Somebody's not getting it? 22:02 Think about it, it'd be like getting along with your likes 22:04 and your dislikes, 22:06 because we're thinking the same here. 22:12 We live in an age of change, 22:15 and we realized in this age of change, 22:18 as longer that we're single, 22:20 longer that we're not joined together, 22:22 we become more and all... 22:24 This is for... This is for all of us right here. 22:27 A change becomes more difficult. 22:29 The older I get, change becomes more difficult. 22:32 Does that sound like a fact? It is. 22:35 Because we become more established 22:37 in what we've been doing and how we've been doing it 22:38 for so long that you think 22:40 this is the normal way in which to do it. 22:42 So change becomes difficult. 22:45 That means that even sharing things 22:47 become more difficult, 22:49 because we haven't had to share. 22:53 It becomes more difficult for us. 22:56 The longer I live, sometime, and I say opinions, 22:59 and we love our opinions. 23:00 Opinion is not good of ourselves, 23:02 it's what the Bible has to say about the subject. 23:04 A lot of time we just say our opinion 23:06 based upon surely a Word of God here. 23:08 Our opinion sometime become, boy, I'm telling you, ooh, 23:11 stronger as we go along. 23:15 If we're not used to sharing those things and we simply... 23:18 Bottom line, we say, I simply want it my way. 23:24 I want it my way. 23:28 Keep in mind, people who wait, we've mentioned, keep in mind, 23:32 people who wait at least six years 23:34 before seeking help, 23:37 keep this in mind, and all notice this, 23:39 half of all marriages end in the first seven years. 23:44 Did you get it? 23:46 Half of all marriages end in the first seven years. 23:51 And what? 23:52 We are waiting six years before we try to get help, 23:56 and sometimes that's way too late. 24:00 That must be kept in mind. 24:03 God thus created us I believe as I've studied this, 24:06 He created us to be social creatures. 24:10 Is that true? 24:11 God created us to be social creatures, 24:13 because the Bible in Genesis 2:18, 24:16 the Bible is very clear. 24:18 I love this because as God had created Adam 24:21 and He put him there, 24:22 I think He noticed that there were something 24:23 like God knew that there would be. 24:26 There's no surprises with God, is there? 24:28 And the Bible simply says here, Genesis 2:18, 24:31 "It is not good that man should," what? 24:35 "Live alone. 24:36 I will make for him," what? 24:38 "I'll make a help meet." Notice that. 24:42 God said, "It's not good for man to live alone." 24:45 It's not good and that's mankind. 24:47 That's women, that's men, that's everybody. 24:49 Not to live alone, God made us social 24:51 so we could share with one another, 24:52 learn from one another. 24:56 He meant for there to be marriage, 25:00 but He said, "I'm going to make for Adam a help meet," 25:02 and that's interesting. 25:03 That simply means, help meet there 25:05 in the original language, 25:07 I'm going to make an aid for him. 25:09 Why would a man need aid? Because men need aid. 25:14 Somebody not with me. 25:17 Well, we got an amen out there, 25:18 but we'll wait should you turn after a while. 25:23 Man needs help. That's what a helper. 25:27 God says, "I'm going to 'cause he needs help." 25:29 And man need help. 25:32 And the other part of that help meet is, God said, 25:34 "I'm going to make a something that will surround you." 25:39 See, men need to be surrounded sometime, 25:42 and surrounded by somebody who cares, 25:44 surrounded by love, 25:45 and you know, you're surrounded, 25:47 you voluntarily accept that naturally, 25:49 but I'm gonna make a surround for you, Kenny, 25:51 because you're gonna need it. 25:53 But how nice that is, how thoughtful God is to us, 25:57 to each of us. 25:59 But you know, I think down deep all of us, 26:02 have desire to find. 26:04 And we're thinking about 26:05 maybe those who are looking for a husband or wife, 26:08 down deep, I think all of us that thought about 26:10 one time or the other desire... 26:12 We want to find the one perfect person, 26:16 the one perfect person, 26:17 the one that we should have been praying 26:19 about a long time ago, right? 26:21 One wishes that God's opening the doors, 26:22 but we want that one perfect person 26:24 to spend the rest of our lives with, we just... 26:26 We'd like to have it that way. 26:28 And, you know, 26:29 on some occasions it seems though, 26:31 that some people find them, 26:35 did you notice that some people seems to find them here. 26:37 And then, you know, 26:39 they find that mate at first glance, 26:42 seems a little different in my thinking. 26:44 But they say, the first glance I went to some... 26:48 I went someplace and I looked across the room 26:50 and I saw this person 26:51 and I knew right then and there, 26:53 they were to be my husband or my wife. 26:56 Wow! Oh, man, that's first glance. 27:01 And then you meet 27:02 and you come together and all of a sudden, 27:04 you're talking about the same things 27:05 and you have the same desires. 27:07 You have the same outlook, 27:09 you know, everything seems to gel. 27:11 It seemed like you've known each other all your life. 27:14 And some people just simply say, "I found my soul mate." 27:17 I don't know if you've ever... 27:19 You've heard of that, "I found my soul mate." 27:20 It was just like, then you're thinking, 27:22 "Well, how can it be so quick, man? 27:23 It took us six years, took us five, 27:24 you know, took us a while." 27:31 But really what makes people really compatible? 27:35 Is there something in the Word of God? 27:36 Is there something out there that we say 27:38 that makes us compatible 27:39 so that we can live with each other? 27:42 We can gel with each other, 27:44 the life could be happy for each other 27:46 and all those around us. 27:52 To be compatible for marriage. 27:55 Well, I've heard this, 27:57 people say, "I'm looking for a wife. 27:58 So what are you doing?" 27:59 Well, sometimes they go to wrong places. 28:02 Others, I've heard this a lot 28:03 and an advertisement made people go to, 28:06 I call just a website. 28:08 They get on there on their computers 28:10 and they fill out little questionnaires. 28:13 And they write all their information on there 28:15 and they're hoping 28:17 that somebody on the other end will take that questionnaire 28:20 and all those questions, 28:21 and then somebody else sends one in 28:23 and they're going to look at this 28:24 and they're going to look at that and say, 28:26 these two are a match. 28:29 We're gonna match them up. 28:32 Well, matched up on what? 28:34 On things they have in common. 28:36 That's what they say, well, we have in common, we can last. 28:38 Sounds good, 28:40 but how long do these relationships really last? 28:44 How long do they really last that, 28:45 you know, they may have things that are similar, 28:48 our interests are similar, 28:50 our little quirks that everybody probably has. 28:59 Will it really last? 29:02 Well, one survey was done on a couple married for years. 29:05 Here's what they said about, 29:06 they said that the compatibility 29:08 wasn't an issue. 29:10 I always thought you need to be compatible. 29:13 So this person said, 29:16 "Compatibility was really not the issue." 29:19 They said what made their marriage work was them. 29:24 Just think, don't close it off. 29:28 They say, "We as a couple made the marriage work 29:32 when there was differences." 29:35 It was not the compatibility of their personalities, 29:40 but we worked at it. 29:43 They said their relationship... 29:45 Notice it, they said, 29:46 "Our relationship to one another 29:48 after years of marriage was," 29:51 here's how they said it, 29:52 "sheer power of their willingness 29:55 to have a good marriage." 29:59 Now you might look at it little different. 30:01 This is their thought, 30:03 we can make it work 30:05 and we're going to make it work. 30:07 Three things they said, 30:08 "We want to have a good marriage," 30:10 number one. 30:11 Number two, 30:13 "We want to stay in that relationship," 30:15 number two. 30:16 Number three, they said, one way in which to do it, 30:19 number three is simply always, notice this, 30:21 and this is where division comes and separation. 30:24 "We need to be concerned, 30:25 always be concerned about the happiness 30:27 of the other more than we're concerned 30:29 about our own happiness." 30:31 Now that takes a selfless person. 30:34 Because we're born selfish, 30:36 it's hard to get selfishness out. 30:38 And like I said, longer lot of times 30:40 that we're by our self or do whatever, dido, 30:42 we become more selfish. 30:45 God wants to social, again, so we can share, 30:47 we'd be around others and we learned to share 30:48 and to do, that's why tithing, 30:50 isn't it one of the things? 30:53 That God ordained it 30:55 so that we will not become selfish, 30:57 that we will learn to give, learn to share. 31:01 So I thought that was just, it was interesting here, 31:04 always concerned. 31:05 Think about how many arguments you would have 31:07 and disagreements you would have, 31:09 if every time you were concerned 31:10 about the other one being happy instead of worrying 31:12 about you being happy. 31:16 Probably most of us wouldn't, they wouldn't be. 31:20 Because it's difficult to get self out of the way. 31:24 That's life, and we need help. 31:28 But really, if you want to improve 31:29 your marriage, 31:31 we have to think along this line. 31:32 And so what we can think about this. 31:34 One man said this, 31:36 I thought it was very interesting. 31:37 He said, how a couple, in other words, well, 31:40 his marriage has gotten... 31:41 For years they've been married 31:42 and they've had a good marriage. 31:44 He said this, 31:45 "How a couple interacts 31:47 is the single most fundamental aspect 31:51 to create a successful relationship 31:53 or marriage." 31:55 Did anybody get that? 31:56 How the couple reacts to each other? 32:02 And then someone questioned him a little bit more, and said, 32:03 "What do you mean how a couple reacts?" 32:07 And he gave six things I thought was very interesting. 32:10 Things like, 32:12 now listen to this, this is true, this is true. 32:14 I understand it well 32:17 and still fall short many times, 32:18 and maybe you might look at today and say, 32:20 "Well, I understand that too." 32:21 This man said here, he said, 32:23 "It's how you speak and react to each other." 32:30 If you want a healthy marriage, you have to be... 32:33 You have to recognize, 32:34 you have to be very careful how you speak 32:36 and how you react to the other. 32:40 I thought that's a good one. 32:43 Two, 32:44 just simply how well you get along. 32:47 Do you get along or you're fussing all the time? 32:50 How well do you really get along? 32:54 Number three, he said, 32:55 "It's how you move through life together 33:00 in making adjustments." 33:02 See, marriage is what? 33:04 It's moving through life together. 33:06 You're changing, she's changing, 33:08 you know, the marriage, life is changing, the children, 33:11 grandchildren, things, everything is changing. 33:14 And it's how you make adjustments 33:15 to those changes to whether your marriage 33:17 will be improved or maybe it won't be 33:19 what it should be. 33:21 I think that just makes good sense. 33:24 We have to make adjustments 33:27 and we're not ought to and we should not 33:29 as husband and wife 33:30 try to worry about pleasing somebody else 33:33 rather than your mate. 33:34 God first and then your mate, and then it works down. 33:38 That's the way that the Bible says 33:40 very clearly how it's supposed to be put in. 33:42 Because when you leave your mate out 33:44 and you're making other decisions 33:45 and choices over here, it's not a good thing. 33:48 It's not a good healthy marriage at all. 33:52 Four, he said, this is interesting too. 33:54 "In a marriage, if you want to improve it, 33:56 really how have you been supporting each other?" 34:00 Do you support each other 34:01 in the things that they're doing? 34:07 Or is it that you might feel, as I just mentioned, 34:09 that maybe you're caught 34:10 in the middle of something sometime, 34:12 and you're almost forced to make another decision. 34:15 The husband and the wife must first of all 34:17 consider among themselves, 34:20 what decision needs to be made for their marriage. 34:24 And what is best? 34:27 How well do you support that? 34:28 How well do you move through life together? 34:30 And a couple of others I thought was very, very good. 34:32 He said, "We need to admire each other." 34:37 Two words I look at, he said, "We need to admire each other." 34:40 And number three, R-E-S-P-E-C-T. 34:44 Somebody's not with me. 34:46 I'll tell you what it is, respect. 34:49 You have to have respect. 34:51 I said admire, 34:52 what do you mean in relationship 34:53 you need to admire the other, the others. 34:55 That means you have to have high regard for that person. 34:57 If you don't have high regard for that person 34:59 that you're going with 35:00 and thinking about getting married to that person, 35:02 you need to think again. 35:04 Hope that makes sense, 35:06 if you don't have high regard for them. 35:10 And really he is talking about, admire her, 35:11 means, simply to like. 35:14 You can't say you love someone and you don't like them. 35:17 I've heard people say that. 35:20 It's reverse, 35:22 you have to be able to hold that person in high esteem, 35:25 not cutting them down all the time, 35:26 not beating and banging on them, 35:28 but simply hold them in high esteem. 35:31 That's admire. 35:32 And then the word respect, that means to show honor, 35:37 show honor or esteem. 35:39 Show some consideration for. 35:43 And then the thought came up with one individual said, 35:45 "Yeah, but you know, you don't just respect a person 35:47 because you're told to respect them. 35:51 You respect them 35:52 because they're worthy of that respect." 35:56 And I think, well, how far does that go? 36:01 They said, 36:03 in a survey that these things fit into respect. 36:09 Number one, good reputation. 36:12 A good reputation. 36:14 Does your spouse, does the one you're looking at, 36:15 they have a good reputation? 36:18 Maybe depends on how you talk to. 36:20 And the second one I thought I was interested, 36:23 you need to look at this part here as, 36:26 is he or she decent. 36:28 I thought I used to hear that growing up all the time, 36:30 "Well, are they decent?" 36:34 I have heard people say, when they knock on the door, 36:35 they say, "You decent? 36:36 Can I come in?" 36:38 Somebody didn't get that. 36:42 Are you decent? 36:43 Yeah, you close on so and so, 36:45 kind of come on in the house or whatever, 36:46 you decent. 36:49 So your spouse 36:50 that when you're thinking about or getting married, 36:51 well, they need to be a decent person, 36:54 that means reasonable. 36:58 And it's interesting one word he said, 36:59 just adequate. 37:01 I mean, that's not giving much credit, 37:02 but are they adequate? 37:05 Are they fair? 37:07 Number three, he said, "Are they honest?" 37:08 Number four, "Are they good?" 37:12 Five, "Are they presentable?" 37:15 Are they somebody that you can present 37:17 to mom and dad? 37:19 Are you ashamed and embarrassed 37:22 that you still want to spend your life with them? 37:24 You might want to think again. 37:26 Six, "Are they responsible person?" 37:29 Somebody you want to get married, 37:31 they need to be responsible. 37:32 They need to take responsibility 37:34 for what's getting ready to take place, 37:35 or if it is already taken place, 37:38 you still have that responsibility. 37:40 Even though you've been married for 40 years, 37:41 you still need to be presentable, 37:44 you still need to be responsible, 37:45 you still need to be good. 37:47 You need to be good, have a good reputation. 37:49 You need to be decent, you need to be honest. 37:51 And number seven, you need to be dependable. 37:54 Nothing's worse than, mate, 37:55 trying to deal with somebody who's not dependable. 37:58 Hello. 37:59 Isn't that true? 38:01 Pretty frustrating. 38:05 I've heard, they said, "In order to love someone, 38:08 you must first basically admire and respect them." 38:13 Did you get it? 38:15 In order to love someone the way we should, 38:16 you first must admire and respect that person. 38:21 You know, like that person as it were. 38:23 If you can't admire, if you can't respect, 38:26 if you can't trust a person, 38:29 you know, can you really love them enough 38:31 to spend all your life with, or are you asking for trouble? 38:35 How does the Word of God 38:37 really fit into improving your marriage here? 38:41 Can a marriage really be what it should be without God? 38:45 Turn with me, if you will, in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. 38:48 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, 38:50 we'll read just a couple of quick verses down here. 38:52 You know this chapter well, 38:54 I'm sure you read it all the time. 38:55 We've been encouraged to read it every day, 38:57 and there's reason for that. 39:00 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, I'm gonna read verse 4 quickly, 39:04 13:4. 39:05 Here's what the Bible says, 39:08 "Charity suffereth long, 39:09 and is kind, charity envieth not, 39:13 charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up..." 39:17 Then we know charity is what? 39:19 Certainly as charity is love. 39:20 First eight, skip on down. 39:21 They're all good, you can read them all, 39:23 but it says, "Charity never faileth, 39:24 but whether there be prophecies, 39:27 they shall fail, 39:28 whether there be tongues, they shall cease, 39:31 whether there be knowledge, it shall," what? 39:34 "Vanish away." 39:35 And verse 13 down quickly, "And now abideth," what? 39:38 "Faith, hope, charity, these three, 39:41 but the greatest of these is charity or love." 39:45 Just remember, you read that from the earliest time 39:47 I'm sure, but this is very heavy duty right here. 39:51 Think about it, this gives as we read... 39:54 If you read 1 Corinthians 13, 39:56 it gives to me a true definition of real love, 40:00 of lasting love. 40:01 A love that will improve your marriage 40:04 beyond maybe what you thought it could be. 40:07 If we read that as we counsel every day of our life 40:10 and apply it to us and not your mate. 40:13 Apply it to self. 40:15 See, Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, he analyzes this. 40:19 I like the way he analyzes things, 40:20 sometimes it gets a little deep, 40:21 may be hard to understand. 40:23 But it begins to analyze what love is. 40:26 It's the characteristics that's found in everyone 40:28 who truly loves. 40:30 The word love in this world is so out of proportion, 40:35 it's nowhere near being right. 40:37 When they say love, they say they love everyone, 40:38 we love... Well, we love you, brother. 40:40 We love you... 40:41 First opportunity they get, 40:43 they're stabbing you in the back, 40:44 they're saying, gossiping, backbiting, 40:45 doing all kind of thing. 40:47 Paul here is doing the characteristics 40:48 of what true love is and he points it out 40:50 in a beautiful way. 40:51 He said, "One who loves, a person who loves, 40:54 see if you qualify, see if I qualify, 40:57 or if there's room for me to grow in this area. 41:00 Person who loves is always seeking to reveal, 41:03 feel..." 41:04 Notice this, "Reveal it in word and deed." 41:07 When you say you love someone, 41:08 you're always seeking to do what? 41:11 To reveal that love and what? 41:13 Not just, oh, I love, I love, I love, I love. 41:15 Sometimes people need to be like, grab up 41:17 and shake just a little bit 41:19 and say quit talking about it and do something about it. 41:24 Think about it. 41:26 Love, they're saying it is cheap, 41:28 but when we really love we're gonna be doing 41:30 little things all the time, it says we, it tells we love. 41:37 They always care when you really love, 41:38 you care about the feelings of others, 41:42 you try to promote happiness, not sadness. 41:45 1 Peter 3:8 points it out. 41:47 We can't read it all, the time is just going down, 41:48 13 minutes or so. 41:50 1 Peter 3:8, points out our need, 41:52 "Once again, to be of one mind." 41:54 Notice that what? 41:56 "One mind, have compassion and have love," 41:59 notice that the Bible says, "And be pitiful and courteous." 42:03 Pitiful here means to be tenderhearted. 42:06 You can't have a hardhearted individual in a marriage 42:10 and make it work. 42:11 It has to be tender, 42:13 it has to be able to be reached and touched. 42:15 And it's not by griping and complaining 42:16 but it's by love that's shown that melts an individual. 42:20 Often said, growing up at home I was very sassy mouth 42:23 and so on and so forth. 42:25 It wasn't the whippings and corrections 42:28 that I got that did it. 42:30 You see, but it was the love that was shown back to me, 42:34 that will break your heart, 42:36 and cause you to want to do the right thing. 42:41 One mind, compassion. 42:44 See Jesus gives that, 42:45 you remember how Jesus gave this, 42:47 you know, He talks about, 42:49 He's writing a new commandment to them. 42:50 You remember a new commandment I give you. 42:52 You remember in John 15:12, John 15:12, Jesus said, 42:56 "I'm gonna give you a new commandment 42:57 that you do," what? 43:00 "That you love one another," this is what was lacking. 43:03 Everything that they were doing, 43:04 they were lacking this thing called love, we have to love. 43:08 Also in Matthew or is it John 17:22, 43:12 Jesus was praying here, 43:14 "That they may be one as we are one," 43:16 that we need to be one. 43:18 We need to quit worrying about trying to be one. 43:20 Somebody listen. 43:23 We need to quit worrying about being one 43:25 with somebody else out there, 43:26 but we need to worry about being one with God 43:28 and one with our mate. 43:31 This is so, so important. 43:34 Jesus said, that they may be one, 43:36 they become married, they said, 43:38 the Bible said, they become what? 43:40 One flesh, 43:41 didn't say that about any other thing, 43:43 any other individual, didn't say it about children, 43:45 didn't say grandchildren. 43:46 It says, the husband and wife 43:48 become one flesh. 43:50 It must be taken into consideration. 43:53 Many will throw that out 43:54 because they don't want to hear it. 43:56 Many people say, let's not talk about it, 43:57 let's talk about something more. 43:59 That's what the Bible says, 44:00 so we need to look at it in that light. 44:02 1 John 3:23, The Bible said, "We must believe on," 44:06 you want a happy marriage, 44:07 you want your marriage to improve, it says, 44:09 "We must believe on Jesus Christ," 44:11 and then it goes on to say "Love," what? 44:13 "Love one another." 44:14 Believe on Jesus and love one another. 44:19 Love never produces, 44:20 I want you to know is love never produces 44:22 the idea of self importance. 44:26 Love never produces, right, it does not seek for flattery. 44:30 Real love never seeks for flattery, 44:32 you always gonna have to flatter him all the time, 44:33 you gonna have to say something. 44:35 True love never seeks for anything. 44:38 Jot that down, 44:39 if you don't get anything out of true love, 44:41 love for your spouse or your children, 44:42 it never seeks and if you really love it, 44:44 you're not seeking anything, 44:49 but their happiness. 44:51 Man, that's a lot of dying self there, isn't it? 44:53 Love gives, real love gives. 44:58 Well, you didn't, you didn't, and you didn't, 45:01 and he didn't and you... 45:02 Love gives, not receive. 45:05 It's more blessed to give than to receive. 45:12 The verses goes on and it says what I said, 45:13 love is never uncivil. 45:16 I think I've been uncivil sometime. 45:21 I don't think if anybody's ever been uncivil. 45:25 That means, uncivil means not civil. 45:31 Love is never rude. I've been rude. 45:36 And you may be never intended to be rude. 45:39 But you got rude. 45:41 Circumstances, situations made you rude, 45:44 still not right. 45:46 Love is never unmannerly, love never offends anybody. 45:51 I don't care if you've been offended or not, 45:52 don't care if you've been hurt, beat, knocked, banged, thumped, 45:55 it does not matter. 45:56 You're never to try to go back and hurt the other person. 45:59 Isn't that interesting? 46:02 That's called true love, isn't it? 46:05 You could say they deserve it, look what they just did, 46:07 look what they said, look how they've acted, 46:08 look what they did. 46:09 Bible doesn't teach you that. 46:11 And that's why our marriage is getting into mess they do, 46:13 because no one wants to turn that... 46:14 return that unconditional love. 46:19 Love always seeks the happiness of others. 46:23 And so doing, notice this, another key here. 46:26 We may have to, 46:27 Spirit of Prophecy brings out clear. 46:29 We may have to, we may have to avoid, 46:33 we may have to avoid anything 46:36 that might upset someone else's joy. 46:41 We might have to, what? What was the word? 46:44 Avoid anything that might upset someone else's joy. 46:49 We're not saying, God doing anything 46:50 that's not scripted or anything that's wrong, 46:52 but there're just certain things sometime 46:55 that you have maybe in marriages and relationships. 47:00 That may be in itself it's not bad, 47:02 but it's cutting the joy, it's... 47:05 the other, is cutting the cord, 47:08 it's causing problems and it doesn't have to be. 47:12 And sometime we just have to avoid that situation 47:15 like all the other things in life that causes trouble. 47:18 We may have to avoid a lot of things in life. 47:23 The I want all the time must go, 47:26 thy need, I, me, my. 47:30 I mean, that's tough for everybody. 47:32 Only Jesus help can that take place. 47:36 Do you realize true love never finds, 47:38 you know, and I've griped and complained a lot of time, 47:40 true love never find fault with anyone. 47:45 How many times that maybe we found fault with someone. 47:51 True love doesn't find fault with anyone. 47:55 Never tries to judge another person's motives, 47:57 never. 48:00 True love can never find happiness in sin 48:05 of any kind. 48:06 Are you still with me? 48:09 Verse 8, it said, "Love never fails." 48:12 I think it's interesting. 48:14 And that means love never fails, 48:15 that means love never falls off, 48:16 'cause to us in our human mind, 48:18 we're getting so dark, 48:19 so far away from the cross of Calvary, 48:21 from the real love of Jesus Christ, 48:22 we just look at and say, "Yeah, they did and that's why I did." 48:28 He said, love never falls off, illustration, 1 Peter 1:24, 25. 48:32 Six, seven minutes left, come on, 48:34 1 Peter 1:24, 25, gives the illustration. 48:37 Now let's go there. 48:39 It says, "The grass withereth, and the flower," what? 48:41 "Fades away." 48:43 Yeah, that means it falls off, doesn't it? 48:46 But notice this, 48:47 "But the word of the Lord endureth," how? 48:48 Verse 25, "Forever..." 48:50 Notice it, "So real love does not fall off 48:53 like a leaf or a flower." 48:56 A flower gives beauty and good smelling 48:59 and they look beautiful beside the road 49:00 when you're going to work. 49:02 And you look and say, 49:03 "Man, this is a beautiful thing." 49:05 They come in to being and you see that 49:06 and they do their work, 49:08 they do what they're appointed to do, 49:09 but the winter comes and the rain comes 49:11 and they die. 49:14 They're no longer that way, 49:15 that's why you see the smell is gone, 49:17 the plant withers and it falls to the ground. 49:21 This does not happen 49:23 when two people are really in love, 49:24 the way God meant for them to love. 49:27 The winter time comes, the blast, 49:29 the Arctic blast 49:30 will hit you sometime, isn't it? 49:31 The rain is going to come and sometime it's a flood, 49:34 and we don't understand why things are happening 49:35 the way they are. 49:37 Sometime a drought will come, 49:38 you know, that there seemed like to be nothing. 49:40 There's not even... Maybe no talking. 49:41 There's no action. 49:43 There's not anything that's going on 49:44 that may happen. 49:45 Stress and strain will come. 49:48 But along with that there's some stuff that's sweet 49:50 and stuff that's good. 49:52 There's some real love maintains. 49:55 Real love never falls off. 50:01 A survey was taken talking about husband and wife 50:04 and spending their time together. 50:05 And it says, this is just a recent one, 50:07 that says a husband and wife both live longer. 50:12 Less strain naturally, when they're married, 50:13 they live longer, 50:15 when they take at least three weeks of vacation 50:17 together a year. 50:19 They actually live longer, 50:22 and they have a happier marriage. 50:23 Why? 50:25 Because they can leave the stress 50:26 and the strain where it belongs and not take it with them. 50:32 You know, in some ministries and work sometime, 50:34 it's seemed like 24/7, things go on. 50:37 There's times you have to put it down 50:39 for just a little bit. 50:40 Its necessity is to put it down, 50:43 because if you don't you get too wrapped up in that, 50:45 you forget that you have a spouse. 50:48 You forget what was normal, 50:50 you forgot the way that started out, 50:53 you forgot to show that affection, 50:54 you forgot to show how it once was. 50:57 True love can be relied on at all the times, 51:00 I love that. 51:01 All the time. 51:06 True love solves all problems, it can solve all problems. 51:10 Solomon said, 51:11 it's something like this in Solomon, 51:12 Song of Solomon 8:6, 7, just paraphrasing here. 51:17 He said, "Love is strong as death," 51:18 I like that. 51:20 Love is what? 51:21 "Is strong as death, 51:22 jealousy is cruel as the grave..." 51:24 Interesting. 51:26 He said, "Many waters cannot quench love." 51:30 Solomon tells us that pure love 51:32 cannot be destroyed. 51:34 Pure love is invincible. 51:37 We want our marriage to be better, 51:39 we want to be more enduring. 51:41 Proverbs 12:10 says this, Proverbs 10:12, 51:46 "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." 51:52 Did you get that? So, so, so, so very important. 51:54 Hatred does what? "Stirreth up strife." 51:58 And that means simply dislike, you dislike someone, 52:00 you don't like being around them. 52:02 I'll say, it's just stirring everything they did, 52:04 they can't do anything right. 52:07 And then there's real problems. 52:10 Hatred motivates a person to cause trouble, 52:14 while love forgives and forgets, 52:18 regardless the way that you've been treated 52:21 and you didn't deserve it. 52:24 We still have to forgive and forget. 52:27 Jesus said and know what it says to husband, 52:29 love your enemies, 52:31 do good to them who despitefully use you, 52:34 and say what? 52:36 False things against you. 52:39 Insult you, slander you. 52:42 Matthew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, 52:47 for they shall be called the children of God." 52:51 We won't have time, 52:53 I wish we did Ephesians 5:22-33, 52:57 because here is the husband and wife relationship. 53:00 Paul hits on three areas with relationship 53:02 between husband and wife, between masters and servants. 53:06 To have a happy home, last two minutes, 53:09 good marriage and improve marriage. 53:12 We must follow God's plan. 53:13 There's no doubt about it in my mind. 53:15 It's not gonna work the way God wants it if we don't. 53:17 Verse 22, this is interesting here, 53:20 and I should have brought up my one testimony, 53:22 someone else can read from that. 53:23 Verse 22, "Wives, 53:25 submit yourselves unto your own husbands." 53:28 We know that in the job that you go to, 53:32 in the church that you attend, 53:34 wherever you go in the government 53:35 and the service, there's always some, 53:37 in the community what? 53:39 There must be a head. 53:41 The reason there had to be a head we'd add 53:43 and put over the woman is because well, 53:46 the woman's sinned. 53:47 If when they were created, 53:49 they were equal in the beginning, 53:50 you know why? 53:52 Because there was no sin. 53:53 There was no selfishness. 53:54 There was no desire to be on top. 53:56 Their mind was one together with God, 53:57 you didn't need it but when sin came, 53:58 God realized that you can't have two heads in the family. 54:03 And God said to the man in Genesis 3:16, 54:07 that the woman would serve the man. 54:09 And we realized that's in the right way. 54:10 And just don't have time to talk about 54:12 all of that for sure. 54:14 But the principle is permanent here. 54:16 And when there is, 54:17 I'll bring this up here and you can read it 54:19 for yourself some time. 54:20 Ellen White simply makes a comment. 54:22 He says, 54:23 "When there's a difference in the home, 54:25 both of you are Christian." 54:27 Not talking about somebody that's God. 54:29 I'm talking about Christians this whole time. 54:31 It is, when there's a difference 54:33 and a decision has to be made, 54:34 the man is the head of the house, 54:36 his wife is to submit 54:37 and to respect his choice and decision. 54:39 They can talk about it, they can discuss it, 54:41 but as the end result, 54:43 we had to follow what God says in His Word. 54:45 And that's not always easy to do. 54:47 But the man will love his wife as Christ loved the church 54:50 and gave Himself for it. 54:51 Let's pray. Shall we, together? 54:54 Loving Father in heaven, thank You for Your Word. 54:56 Thank You, that straightness is pointed helped us to follow 54:58 that Word today. 55:00 Lord, we would be careful to give You praise, honor, 55:01 and glory for those who made right choices 55:03 and decisions today in Jesus' name. 55:04 Amen. 55:06 Thank you very much for joining us 55:07 and we'll see you next week. 55:11 Hello, and welcome back, friends, improve your marriage. 55:14 I truly hope that you've been blessed as you've studied along 55:17 with Pastor Kenny Shelton on how to do just that. 55:21 In closing, 55:22 I want to share just a few verses 55:24 from 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. 55:26 You can follow along with me on your screen. 55:29 It reads, 55:31 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind..." 55:34 And remember always that the word charity 55:36 can be translated as love. 55:38 So if you like the word love better, 55:41 if you can relate to that, just substitute it. 55:43 "Love suffereth long, and is kind, love envieth not, 55:49 love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 55:54 Doth not behave itself unseemly, 55:56 seeketh not her own, 55:58 and is not easily provoked, 56:00 think about that true heavenly love 56:02 is not easily provoked, 56:05 thinketh no evil. 56:06 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. 56:11 Beareth all things, believeth all things, 56:14 hopeth all things," 56:16 brothers and sisters, love "endureth all things." 56:20 And I realize, as a Christian on our own, 56:24 we cannot have this type of heart change. 56:27 We cannot have these types of reactions and actions 56:32 if it were not for the Holy Spirit 56:34 coming into our heart, 56:35 and performing a heart surgery that only God can do. 56:39 He wants to do that for you. 56:42 And if you allow Him, you can implement, 56:44 you can claim these verses in your life, 56:47 your home will change. 56:49 It'll be a little bit of heaven on earth. 56:51 Your children will thank you, your spouse will thank you. 56:55 I pray that you're both working together 56:57 because that's how we truly improve our marriage. 57:00 It's not just one in the marriage. 57:02 It's both working together with our Heavenly Father. 57:06 So if you would like to have this study 57:09 and share it with a friend 57:10 or just go over it time and time again, 57:13 we pray that you'll call us here 57:15 at Behold the Lamb Ministries and it's Central Time. 57:18 And the number here is (618) 942-5044. 57:24 You may also email us at 57:26 BeholdTheLambMinistries @Yahoo.com 57:29 or view us on our website that's 57:31 www.BeholdTheLambMinistries. com. 57:35 We're offering this single message 57:38 for a love gift of just $8 or more, 57:41 or if you'd like all 25 Bible studies, 57:44 you may also order those as well for a love gift 57:47 of just $175. 57:50 Friends, until next time, may our precious Lord 57:54 continue to richly bless you and yours. |
Revised 2019-02-28