Every year the Elliff’s get away for a private retreat. Once, while sharing a meal in an intimate restaurant, Tom asked Jeannie the following questions – he wanted to listen to his wife’s words and hear from her heart. These 10 questions have become an annual exercise as Tom seeks to follow the Apostle Peter’s exhortation: “You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman, and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7 NASB)
QUESTIONS HUSBANDS CAN ASK THEIR WIVES 1. What could I do to make you feel more loved? 2. What could I do to make you feel more respected? 3. What could I do to make you feel more understood? 4. What could I do to make you more secure? 5. What can I do to make you feel more confident in our future direction? 6. What attribute would you like me to develop? 7. What attribute would you like me to help you develop? 8. What achievement in my life would bring you the greatest joy? 9. What would indicate to you that I really desire to be more Christ like? 10. What mutual goal would you like to see us accomplish? Optional – Have I overlooked any question you would like me to ask? In response to the questions Tom asked so he could really get to know here heart, Jeannie came up with her own set of questions to ask Tom. Jeannie encourages wives to ask their husbands these questions every year in order to keep their marriage sharp. QUESTIONS WIVES CAN ASK THEIR HUSBANDS 1.Do you feel I properly understand the goals that God has placed in your heart? How can I help you achieve them? 2.What are some things I can do to regularly show you just how satisfied I am with you as my husband and the leader of our home? 3.Is there anything I am doing or failing to do that seems to send a signal that I do not honor you or your leadership in our home? 4.Is there anything I can change to make our home a place where you feel more satisfied and comfortable? 5. Are there any big dreams in your heart that you have been hesitant to share with me? How can I help you fulfill them? 6.How do you feel we can begin communicating better than we already are? 7.Do you feel that there is anything keeping either one or both of us from God’s best in our lives? What should be my part in freeing us from those restraints? 8.Are we where you wanted us to be at this stage in life? How can I help you make that possible within God’s guidelines? 9.How do you envision our future together? What can we do together to achieve that goal? 10.What can I do to show you how much I need and trust you? ……………………………………………….. Keep in mind that “a good marriage is not something you find. It’s something you work for!” We hope you will “work for” this to be the best year yet for your marriage – hopefully the above questions will help you with this mission! God Bless, Steve and Cindy Wright 1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. If you really need a grouch, there are probably a few dozen of your relatives to do the job. 3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Just never let the brain stay idle. 4. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter. 5. Do not worry about situations beyond your control. God is still on His throne! 6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire lives, is ourselves. 7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge. 8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. 9. Don't take guilt trips. Shoulder only your own responsibilities. Then go to the mall, the next county, a foreign country, but not to guilt. God forgives and forgets. Go to Him. 10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Proverbs 24:17 - 18 strongly warns us to keep a right heart attetude and not be happy about our enemies afflictions even though we may feel that they deserve them. We should always remember that hurting people hurt people and that their pain may be so strong that they are not even aware that they are hurting us. Do not rejoice in their misfortue love them instead.
Life sometimes throws us a curve ball. Things does not always work out according to plan. But Gods hand will always be there to encourage us or to lift us out of our misiry. Ezra 7:28 b I was streangthened and encouraged, for the Hand of the Lord my God was upon me...
Be encouraged He is always faithful to those who seek Him. Kan ek as gelowige ook God se Naam ydellik gebruik? Orals word God se Naam misbruik as ‘n stopwoord. In flieks, sepies of tussen mense is dit volop. Die Tien Gebooie verbied dit. Inderdaad! Maar Die derde gebod is heel eerste vir die volk van die Here bedoel, nie vir buitestaanders nie. Die vraag is dus hoe sorg ons wat glo dat ons nie sy Naam “ydellik” gebruik nie.
Eksodus 20:7 word as volg vertaal in verskillende Bybels: “You shall not repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain (that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely).” (Amplified Bible) “Do not use my Name for evil purposes.” (Good News Translation) “No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter.” (The Message) “Jy mag nie die Here jou God se Naam sommerso gebruik nie.” (Boodskap) “Moenie die Naam van die Here jou God sonder rede gebruik nie.” (Nuwe Lewende Vertaling) Die werkwoord in Eksodus 20:7 (nāśā) beteken om op te tel of te dra (soos in 2 Kon 19:4; Jes 37:4, waar daar sprake is van “optel in gebed”). Die beskrywende term wat met hierdie werkwoord verbind word (laššāwĕ), word in die Griekse vertaling van die Ou Testament verstaan as “leeg, waardeloos of ydel.” Dus gaan dit oor die dra van God se Naam op ‘n leë, waardelose manier wat Hom van sy eer beroof. Psalm 24 bied ‘n belangrike perspektief op Eksodus 20:7. Wanneer die psalmskrywer hier vra wie mag in die Here se teenwoordigheid verskyn, gee vers 4 ‘n treffende antwoord — diegene met rein harte en hande wat nie hulle siel oplig (lō-nāśā) vir ‘n afgod (laššāwĕ), of vals sweer nie. In Levitikus 19:12 verbied God sy volk om vals te sweer in Sy Naam, terwyl Jesus ons in die Bergrede verbied om enige geloftes in God se Naam af te lê. Ons ja is ja, en ons nee is nee. Ons is God se mense oor wie sy Naam uitgeroep is (2 Kron 7:14). Om ons vir sy Naam te skaam en te maak asof ons Hom nie ken nie, is om die derde gebod in die gedrang te bring. Daarom dat Jesus ons in Matteus 10:32-33 oproep om sy Naam met eerbied op ons lippe te dra deur ons nie vir sy woorde te skaam nie. In 1 Petrus 4:16 hoor ons dat ons nie moet skaam wees as ons ly as Christene nie. In sulke tye moet ons God juis loof dat ons sy Naam mag dra! Die derde gebod word dus reg uitgeleef wanneer ons as gelowiges dag vir dag kies om ons Heer se mooi en groot Naam in ere te hou deur ons ganse lewe. Ons is die vlagdraers vir die Naam van die Here. Eers as ons dit regkry, verdien ons die reg om met buitestaanders hieroor te praat. ³Life is so good. I'm as happy as can be. I have such tremendous
expectation for the future. There is a joy bubbling up from the depth of my soul that overflows to every area of my life. I want to share that joy. I want people around me to see this smile on my face and hear positive, uplifting words come out of my mouth. I love life, and I cherish each day God gives me.² What do you think about someone like this? Your first response may be that they fell on their head as a child. Your evaluation may even place them as unaware of current events or too simple to understand the difficulties of life. You may believe they are too naïve to grasp how cruel the world is today. On the other hand, think of this ‹ it may be that they are a Christian living by faith in Jesus Christ. Christianity is a way of life. This means it influences your thinking, your attitude, your outlook, your personality, and every aspect of who you are. Faith is more than believing in your head that there is a God and He can do anything. Faith is believing with your life that there is a God and He can do anything. Faith becomes visible in your words and actions. Faith is evident in how you respond to problems and difficulties ‹ and, yes, there are very real problems and difficulties. Faith is demonstrated in how you treat people. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is incredibly optimistic. There we learn, ³Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen² (KJV). Hope means you anticipate better. Hope convinces you that great and wonderful things are around the corner just out of sight. Jesus told us He came to give us life abundantly (John 10:10). In 2 Corinthians 5:7 we are instructed live by faith, not by sight. If we have life abundantly in Jesus, then as Christians living by faith we should have a positive outlook on life. If we face the current situations of our life by faith and not on the strength of circumstantial evidence, then we should overflow with optimism. Faith lifts us up above our circumstance. Faith convinces us that God is real, and He is our source of help in time of need. Live your life so your faith can be seen in your actions, your words and your attitude. “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19, NIV) No matter what “troubles” you may be facing today, God has promised to deliver you! Notice today’s verse doesn’t say He’s going to deliver you from “some” of your troubles as long you say and do everything perfectly. No, if you are righteous today, then God promises to deliver you from all of your troubles. How do you know if you are righteous? When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, when you accept His forgiveness and choose to believe that He is working in your life, then you are righteous. The Bible says in Romans 4, that “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Your faith in the goodness of God is His righteousness at work in your heart! If you are facing troubles today, expect that God has a way of escape for you. Expect that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Meditate on this verse and let it sink down deeply into your heart. Know that God is good, and He is your Deliverer today! Heavenly Father, thank You for making me righteous by the blood of Jesus. I receive Your promises and choose to believe that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf. Thank You for being my Deliverer today and always in Jesus’ name! Amen. A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her. Ps. Jaco Venter
By praying you speak to God, by reading God speaks to you Don't pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. - Corrie ten Boom have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess - Martin Luther I have made you a light ... that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth - Acts 13:47 In essentials, UNITY; in non-essentials, LIBERTY; in all things LOVE In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart - John Bunyan It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing and sharing with others that is important. - Mother Teresa Jesus Christ built a bridge to Heaven for us using only Two beams and three nails Keep your face to the SONshine and you cannot see the shadow “...I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13, NLT)
Have you made the decision to forget the past? Many people don’t fully understand what that means. They wonder, “How can I forget something that’s happened to me?” But one definition of the word forget is to disregard intentionally or to overlook. In other words, you have to choose to disregard your past so that it doesn’t keep you from moving forward. That means the good and the bad. Sometimes our past victories keep us from rising higher as much as past failures. If we don’t let go of the old, we’ll never be able to embrace the new. It doesn’t matter what’s happened in your history, it’s time to forget what lies behind. Today, make the choice live forward. Trust that God has a better future in store for you. Trust that He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. As you forget what lies behind and press forward, you’ll move forward. You’ll see increase and blessing and live the abundant life He has in store for you! Father in heaven, today I choose to forget the past. I don’t want anything to hold me back from what You have in store for my future. I choose forgiveness. I choose peace. Help me, by Your Spirit, to press forward into the life of blessing You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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