Insights on Marriage and Divorce

No study on the subject of grace would be complete without addressing its importance in the home, especially between marriage partners. We have spent considerable time examining God’s grace in His offering salvation to those who are lost, spiritually dead, and unable to do anything to earn divine acceptance. We’ve called that “vertical grace.” We have also searched Scripture for insight in the realm of “horizontal grace,” our attitude toward and treatment of one another. But we have not specifically considered the essential value of grace in the husband-wife relationship. As we shall see in this lesson, grace is the oil that decreases domestic friction, the one ingredient that prompts us to release our partners to be all God would have them be, all the while affirming one another in an atmosphere of unconditional love.Download Message Mates 

No study on the subject of grace would be complete without addressing its importance in the home, especially between marriage partners. We have spent considerable time examining God’s grace in His offering salvation to those who are lost, spiritually dead, and unable to do anything to earn divine acceptance. We’ve called that “vertical grace.” We have also searched Scripture for insight in the realm of “horizontal grace,” our attitude toward and treatment of one another. But we have not specifically considered the essential value of grace in the husband-wife relationship. As we shall see in this lesson, grace is the oil that decreases domestic friction, the one ingredient that prompts us to release our partners to be all God would have them be, all the while affirming one another in an atmosphere of unconditional love.Download Message Mates 

The last stage of marriage is that period of time when the nest is empty—either empty of the children or of one of the mates . . . or both. This is a critical stage in the home. All sorts of strange and unpredictable feelings transpire, and we find ourselves in need of stabilizing thoughts and direction. God gives that to us in this passage from Hebrews. Though it was not originally written regarding marriage, it has practical overtones that perfectly apply to the domestic scene: pursue spiritual maturity.Download Message Mates 

The last stage of marriage is that period of time when the nest is empty—either empty of the children or of one of the mates . . . or both. This is a critical stage in the home. All sorts of strange and unpredictable feelings transpire, and we find ourselves in need of stabilizing thoughts and direction. God gives that to us in this passage from Hebrews. Though it was not originally written regarding marriage, it has practical overtones that perfectly apply to the domestic scene: pursue spiritual maturity.Download Message Mates 

Everybody gets older. Admit it or not. The question is, “Will we grow sweeter, or will we rot?” Once all the children have left the nest and two people who honeymooned together twenty-five or thirty years ago are left to “start over,” how can they resist negative tendencies and stay young at heart? How can they support each other’s growth toward spiritual maturity? Solomon, in the last two chapters of Ecclesiastes, set forth five reminders that couples must heed if they want to get better as they get older.Download Message Mates 

Everybody gets older. Admit it or not. The question is, “Will we grow sweeter, or will we rot?” Once all the children have left the nest and two people who honeymooned together twenty-five or thirty years ago are left to “start over,” how can they resist negative tendencies and stay young at heart? How can they support each other’s growth toward spiritual maturity? Solomon, in the last two chapters of Ecclesiastes, set forth five reminders that couples must heed if they want to get better as they get older.Download Message Mates 

Everybody gets older. Admit it or not. The question is, “Will we grow sweeter, or will we rot?” Once all the children have left the nest and two people who honeymooned together twenty-five or thirty years ago are left to “start over,” how can they resist negative tendencies and stay young at heart? How can they support each other’s growth toward spiritual maturity? Solomon, in the last two chapters of Ecclesiastes, set forth five reminders that couples must heed if they want to get better as they get older. Download Message Mates  

As bombs dropped and enemies threatened to take over his country, Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, understood that the war would not be won by giving up the fight. Surrender is not an option if you plan to win. In a world where marriage is under attack by pressures outside and inside the Christian church, God’s people cannot abdicate. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to our world, and to our God to stand strong in our marital commitment. But how can we do that? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says we can do to bolster our marriages. Download Message Mates  

As bombs dropped and enemies threatened to take over his country, Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, understood that the war would not be won by giving up the fight. Surrender is not an option if you plan to win. In a world where marriage is under attack by pressures outside and inside the Christian church, God’s people cannot abdicate. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to our world, and to our God to stand strong in our marital commitment. But how can we do that? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says we can do to bolster our marriages. Download Message Mates  

As bombs dropped and enemies threatened to take over his country, Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, understood that the war would not be won by giving up the fight. Surrender is not an option if you plan to win. In a world where marriage is under attack by pressures outside and inside the Christian church, God’s people cannot abdicate. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to our world, and to our God to stand strong in our marital commitment. But how can we do that? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says we can do to bolster our marriages. Download Message Mates