Defeating Adultery- WEDNESDAY
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Defeating Adultery
by
Bryan Craig
WEDNESDAY- Rejoice in Your Wife
"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love." Proverbs 5:18-19 NIV
Solomon was definitely a romantic. Maybe it's why he had 700 wives. If you read his other book, Song of Songs, you will read about his loving pursuit of one of his young brides. We all seem to love romance. Even men, if they are honest, are receptive to love stories and love songs. It is because God IS Love, and we were all created in His image. So love comes very naturally for us.
We did a Valentine's Marriage Retreat a few years back, and we asked all the couples attending to send us a picture of themselves when they first met or the day they got married. We put the pictures up on the screen as we introduced each couple, and we did a little skit about how the Heavenly Wedding Coordinator and a Love Angel had a hand in bringing them together. It was so much fun to see all these pictures of these couples when they were younger and obviously in love. We did this, knowing that out of the 65 couples in attendance, there was a good chance that many of them were struggling in their marriage and didn't feel very much in love. We wanted to take them back to the roots of their marriage, hoping to rekindle that love.
Something happens over time to couples as they endure the cares and concerns of life, as they co-mingle personalities, habits, desires, moods, and as familiarity breeds a certain numbness or dullness to the relationship. Oftentimes, in the midst of the doldrums of marriage, men will begin to look for a new conquest. It may start with the Victoria's Secret catalog or an image on the computer, and then it graduates and focuses itself on real flesh in the form of a friend, a co-worker or some other object of affection.
God is telling us, through Solomon, STOP IT! Your love is to be reserved for your wife. God gave you her, and you fell in love with her and asked her to be your partner for life. If you feel like your wife is not responsive to you, ask yourself the question, "Am I rejoicing in her?" Stop looking for all her faults and being critical of her every move and expecting her to serve you and meet your needs. Start loving her and rejoicing in her. This means serving her, making sacrifices for her, putting yourself aside, finding out what makes her feel special and loved and doing those things. This is what God wants for your marriage.
Paul talks directly to husbands, as well:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church (YOU) and gave Himself up for her (YOU) to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself." Ephesians 5:25-28 NIV
God expects us to love our wives the way He loves us. Think about all the grace and love and forgiveness He has for you. It is a Sacred Responsibility to love our wives! If Satan has hardened your heart toward your wife, ask the Holy Spirit to soften you, to bring you back to that place when you first fell in love with her. Ask Him to give you eyes to see her the way He sees her. Guys, stop looking for Love in all the wrong places. Your love is right in front of you.
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