We Can Work it Out

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breast satisfy thee at all times; and be ravished (exhilarated) always with her love.

On a scale from 1-10, 1 being poor and 10 being, not perfect, but great. How does your marriage relationship rank? _____

The ultimate reason that we should desire to have a GREAT marriage is because it is the will of God.

Until my relationship with God is what it should be, my marriage will not be what it can be.

When our relationship with God is right, then we have the potential to have the ultimate relationship with our wife, our children, and our friends.

So what constitutes having a GREAT marriage? 1. Not about perfection 2. Not about materialism 3. Not about no problems 4. Not about domination- Me always having my way Me always having my way

What does constitute a GREAT marriage? First of all there must be A Spiritual Partnership 2. Biblical Principles applied to our marriage

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers

Every principle that the Bible teaches us to exercise toward others should, first and foremost, be exercised toward our spouse.

It all simply begins by being a Christian in our relationship.

1. Humility Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others. ~Philippians 2:4

2. Honesty Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ~Ephesians 4:25

3. Swift Recognition Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger ~Ephesians 4:26

3. Swift Recognition Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ~Ephesians 4:32

4. Kinds Deeds Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ~Ephesians 4:28

5. Edify one Another Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ~Ephesians 4:29

6. Relinquishing the Past Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ~Ephesians 4:31-32

7. Practicing the Golden Rule So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ~Matthew 7:12