“This year I am going to spend more time with my family?” I have heard this resolution made over and over again throughout the 15 years I have been in vocational ministry. Why is it that we often wish to spend more time with our families? Could it be that we recognize that there is only a limited amount of time that we will have with our children in our homes? Perhaps we realize that we only have a certain number of days with our spouse before the end of life will take us? Whatever the reason many of us realize the essential nature of investing in our families. Sadly, we often do not have a process to follow through on this commitment.
Consequently, 0ver the next several weeks I want to offer you some Biblical direction to maximize your investments in your family. These practical and Biblical instructions will provide a roadmap for effective investment in your most important relationships.
This week I want to encourage you to make the investment of prayer into your spouse. In Genesis chapter 2, we witness man’s creation and his charge to have authority over all of creation. Yet even in this utopic state, man was missing something. God had determined that man should not exist alone and thus created woman as his complement. God then blessed them and the institution of marriage was established.
The single greatest participant in your family is your spouse. God rebuked the men of Israel in Malachi chapter 2 because they had acted treacherously against their wives. In this rebuke God emphasizes the partnership that exist within the marriage covenant and encourages faithfulness to each other and the marriage covenant itself.
In the New Testament, marriage is used as an image of Christ’s love for his church. As Christians, we are called to be faithful in love to our spouses and as a result, our marriages will demonstrate to others the love of Christ.
One of the most loving acts you can undertake for your spouse is to pray for them every day. I am not talking about the prayer, “Lord bless my spouse, Amen.” I am talking about a commitment to Biblical prayer for your spouse resulting in a spiritual investment in your partner and a physical investment of your time each day. In order to accomplish this I want to share with you four specific areas of prayer you can focus on for your spouse. You may not focus on each of these areas every day, but these areas should all be a common character in the daily episode or prayer you undertake.
First pray a prayer of thanksgiving for your spouse. Take time to thank God for your spouse's presence in your life. Take time to thank God for the blessings your spouse provides to your life. Thank God for using your spouse as an instrument of discipleship within your life. Those things that we are constantly thankful for are hard to take for granted. The apostle Paul expresses thanksgiving in the first chapter of his letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Philippians, and Colossians just for them being a part of his life. Should we not also express thanks to God with regularity for the presence of our spouses and their roles in our lives as well.
Second pray a prayer of forgiveness. If you have been married more than a day, then there is a great likelihood that your spouse has done something that upset you. Rather than hold fast to these offenses we are called to forgive them. As you pray, remember that love doesn’t keep a record of offense (1 Corinthians 13:5). So as you pray, forgive your spouse of those offenses and ask God to help you see where your actions may cause offense for your spouse.
Third pray for your spouse’s needs. Philippians 4:6 reads, “Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” In order to pray for the needs of your spouse, you have to talk with your spouse about what they need. These times of sharing are essential to investing in your marriage. Maybe they are struggling with their job, a friend, or the kids. Maybe they are struggling in their walk with God. Don’t try and solve their problems for them. Rather spend time just listening to your spouse and then take those requests before God as you intercede on your spouse’s behalf.
Finally, pray for your spouse to walk worthy of Christ. Paul urges the Ephesians in Ephesians 4 to walk worthy of their calling. This walking is Paul’s term to describe the daily lifestyle of people. Paul urged the Ephesians to have a lifestyle that reflected their calling as Christ’s disciple. Paul urged the Galatians to live a daily lifestyle that reflected the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Paul urges the Colossians to have a lifestyle that illustrated Christ in all of their relationships. As you pray for your spouse to walk worthy of Christ, pray that their lifestyle will reflect Christ and ask that God will help you to fulfill your role in their lifestyle faithfully as well.
As you invest in your spouse through prayer, you are engaging in a spiritual work. As God works in your spouse through your prayers, He will also work in you as he molds you further into the image of his Son the Lord Jesus. Be vigilant in this life of prayer. Be faithful to the call. Be confident that this investment will pay spiritual dividends in the life of your spouse, yourself, and your family.
God bless
No comments:
Post a Comment