Godly Success In Marriage

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

My wife and I received the “Couples’ Devotional Bible” as a wedding gift from a beloved brother. That was 10 years ago. It is the best gift ever because of the ever living Word of God.

Over the next few months, I hope to share excerpts from the devotional bible which I've found to be encouraging and helpful. The following is the first of the series.

It is the prayer of brother Kok Yong and mine that our marriages be further strengthened by the Word of God, bringing glory to our Lord.


Love in Christ,
kh


Break the Cycle

Key Passage: Genesis 45: 1-15

Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”’ “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

-----------------------------------------

We are told in Genesis that “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife.” Yet if they come out of an unhealthy family background, that is, an upbringing that may have included alcoholism, verbal abuse or other chronic problems, they will have a hard time following this biblical mandate.

My dad was an alcoholic, and my parents were divorced. I never met my father until I was in high school, and then I hated him for many years after that. When I became a Christian, I knew it wasn’t right to feel this way, so I buried my hatred. But when I got married, the strong negative feelings were still there, and they started to surface and poison my relationship with my wife. It wasn’t until she confronted me about the way I was treating her that I began to work through the real issue – my unresolved anger toward my dad.

I harbored a lot of hatred toward my dad, but in resolving those feelings, I learned for a real lesson in forgiveness, and that in itself has been a priceless gift. It broke the unhealthy cycle and opened the way to begin a healthy cycle of family relationships.
(Author: John Trent)

Marriage builders
How has forgiveness been constructive in your marriage?
What issues in your relationship might be resolved through forgiveness?

posted by Lighthouse @ 8:47 AM