Loving my Husband

If love is an action word, how do I "perform" it as a wife? Well, there is the obvious physical intimacy that I can willingly offer and receive from my husband, but sometimes, my love needs to be a real sacrifice. I could just hear someone saying that depending on their mood, sex would be a sacrifice...lol!

Well, today my husband called from work and wanted a special meal and.....well, my heart was not in the right place. I was thinking about how I wish someone would fix my favorite foods, cater to me, spoil me. How sad that I can let those selfish thoughts creep in! Then I remembered how my husband had so thoughtfully served me the weekend before. He did some things out of his "comfort zone" for me and my heart softened. We have to train our hearts and minds to mold themselves to the Word of God. Put others before yourself is what the Bible says.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.." Philippians 2:3

Another time, my sweet husband rescued me from the highway when my car decided to break down. I had to wait a long while and I was tempted to be impatient. Then the sweet Holy Spirit reminded me that He blessed me with a husband who cared enough to see about me in my distress and I repented in my heart and was able to welcome him with a smile of gratefulness.

I thank God for the gentle nudges throughout the day to remind me of the Word of God already hidden in my heart. You will find that if you store the Word of God that you will always have enough for those "winter" season situations, monthly emotions and ebbs and flows in marriage. Loving your husband will just be the overflow of what God has already invested.

Challenge: For you wives out there, find something specific that your husband enjoys and do it with him. You could make a favorite meal or watch the game with him. Surprise him by showing some interest. After all, you are One!

Inspiration

The Word of God describes itself as many things in the Bible. Jesus is the Word (John 1), the Word is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is also forever.

In my quiet time the other morning, I was reading this:

II Timothy 3:16
16 xAll scripture is given by inspiration of God, and yisprofitable for ydoctrine, for zreproof, for acorrection, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That bthe man of God may be perfect, * throughly furnished cunto all dgood works.

The part that I was meditating on was that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God". ALL scripture is given by INSPIRATION of God. So even the "boring" parts, geneologies and the like are what the greek word defines as "God-Breathed". The actual word is theopneustos. Usually when I use the word inspired, I am referring to something influencing something else. Like...she inspires me to lose weight, or that poem is an inspiration to me. However, in this case, the nurse in me causes me to explore the word inspire in a medical sense.

When one inspires, they take in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. It is this gas exchange that we can breathing. No breathing, no life. Somebody should start CPR because soon following, the heart stops beating and the person is truly dead. Likewise, the Word of God came about through the people who got to know God. One must come to God to get His Word. If you are not in Christ it is no wonder the Word of His Father is not understood by you! In the beginning when man was created, He breathed into Adam the breath of life. That is what draws us back to him - how we know that there is someone greater than we are. When we come to Him we will find His Word. It is how He has spoken to us. The Word is revealed by Christ Jesus Himself.

People would speculate that the Bible is too old to be relevant. I strongly disagree. If the Word of God proceeds from His inspiration and so we must come to Him to receive it, one thing that the Word says about itself is that it does not return void. God's inspiration has NO EXPIRATION! It will never be too old, irrelevant, outdated or relinquished. With all the versions of the Bible, some fear that the Word of God is being watered down. Really? I don't think so. The Bible says that whoever adds to it or takes from it will have punishment but it will NEVER be diluted and made ineffective. God is eternal. His Word is eternal. When we use God's Word, we speak the words of eternal life. That is why there is power in the tongues of those who pray it, speak it and claim it. Even the devil knows this. Many unbelievers have used the principles of the Bible and it works! Why? It is the sword of the Spirit. You have no greater offense against the things of this world. When you operate in the realm of biblical spirituality you get results. Every time. 

God did not mean for the Bible to be used as a gimmick for personal gain but as a way to communicate His will to all of us. He has something to say to each of us every day. God still speaks. Are we listening?