Your Marriage God's Way Workbook

Scott LaPierre

Description

Apply God's Wisdom to Your Marriage God designed the unique covenant between a man and a woman to be a lifelong partnership that brings joy, support, and stability to both their lives. You can experience this fulfillment for yourself when you follow His plan as the foundation for the relationship between you and your loved one. This companion to Your Marriage God's Way invites you to work together with your spouse to take a closer look at the biblical principles for this precious contract and make them an active part of your own marriage. You will build a stronger relationship and deeper faith as you understand the unique roles God has given each of youidentify ways you can better help, encourage, and support each othermake serving God the focal point of your marriage No matter how long you've been married, there is always room to grow in your relationship by placing Christ at its center. With the help of the Your Marriage God's Way Workbook, bring your hearts closer together and experience the fullness God has in store for both of you.

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers
• Date de parution: 21 septembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736983990
• Langue: English

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
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All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Your Marriage God s Way Workbook
Copyright 2021 by Scott LaPierre
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97408
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-8398-3 (pbk)
ISBN 978-0-7369-8399-0 (eBook)
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Contents
Welcome
One of the Greatest Gifts God Has Given Us
PART ONE: RECOGNIZE THAT
1. Your Marriage Reflects Your Relationship with Christ
2. Marriage Problems Are Really Symptoms
PART TWO: CREATION OF MARRIAGE AND THE FALL (GENESIS 1-3)
3. God s Establishment of Adam s Headship
4. Male Leadership Is God s Pattern
5. The Help a Man Needs
6. Consequences of the Fall for Husbands and Wives
PART THREE: UNDERSTANDING LOVE
7. What Is Love?
8. Characteristics of Agape
PART FOUR: A HUSBAND S CALL TO AGAPE AND A WIFE S CALL TO RESPECT (EPHESIANS 5:25-33)
9. A Husband Should Agape His Wife
10. Spiritually Strong Husbands
11. Protecting Your Marriage
12. A Wife Should Respect Her Husband
PART FIVE: UNDERSTANDING SUBMISSION
13. What Submission Does Not Mean
14. Equal Opportunity Submission
15. Putting Your Husband in a Position to Lead
PART SIX: A WIFE S BEAUTY AND A HUSBAND S TREATMENT (1 PETER 3:1-7)
16. Winning Over Your Husband
17. A Woman s Greater Beauty
18. The Bible s Perfect Wife
19. A Husband Treats His Wife Well By
PART SEVEN: A BIBLICAL VIEW OF INTIMACY (1 CORINTHIANS 7:1-6)
20. The Case for Intimacy
PART EIGHT: A STRONG FOUNDATION (MATTHEW 7:24-27)
21. Building on Christ
Notes
About the Author
Would you like to invite Scott to a speaking event?
Welcome

L et me commend you for prioritizing your marriage! You went beyond simply reading Your Marriage God s Way to also purchasing this accompanying workbook. Second to our relationship with Christ, our relationship with our spouse is the most important relationship in our life. We should invest in it so that our marriage can resemble Christ s relationship to the church. That s what this workbook is-an investment of time and energy (spiritual, mental, and emotional), for your joy and God s glory.
In Your Marriage God s Way , I wrote:
The importance of going beyond hearing (or reading) to obeying is a regular theme in Scripture. Jesus said, My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them (Luke 8:21; John 13:17). We do not learn God s Word simply for the sake of knowing it. We learn it so that we can apply it.
James 1:22 urges us to be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves . This verse reveals a common mistake people make. They learn God s Word and believe they have done enough and fall short of applying it to their lives. Husbands and wives do this when they believe they have a marriage built on Christ simply because they know what the Bible teaches, read Christian marriage books, and attend Christian marriage conferences. But none of their learning will have any effect if they are not obeying Scripture s instructions. As believers, our responsibility goes much further than simply obtaining information. We must obey what we have learned (pages 241-242).
You are doing your part to be not just a hearer (or reader), but a doer (or obey-er) of the Word. What better way to apply what you have read than to go through a workbook with your spouse? I am confident your investment will pay great dividends for you and your spouse. Why am I so certain? Two reasons: First, the instruction in Your Marriage God s Way is drawn from the Bible. As the Author of marriage, God knows exactly what husbands and wives need to have healthy, joyful relationships as He intended.
The second reason is less spiritual and more practical. Before becoming a pastor, I was an elementary school teacher. That s when I learned how people learn. When I started preaching-telling people to open their Bibles versus telling students to open their math books-it was another form (albeit infinitely more important) of teaching. Whether I m delivering a sermon, speaking at a conference, or guest preaching, I do my best to provide those in attendance with message handouts that have lessons and blanks to fill in.
Why do I do this? Because as you ve probably already heard, people retain more information when they take notes versus only listen. 1 But did you know their retention is even better when the notes are handwritten versus typed? 2
Maybe it s been a while since you ve written much by hand. We ve moved away from letters to emails and many of us rely on our computers all day. But you can be encouraged in knowing the answers you write will have a much better chance of staying with you because you wrote them down. Plus, this will help you remember the content from the book as you cement the material in your heart and mind, especially as you put things into practice.
An added benefit of writing your answers is you will have a record you can refer back to. It is always exciting and humbling to see how God changes us along our journey.
USING THIS WORKBOOK
I know you are eager to begin, and here are some guidelines that will allow you to receive the most benefit from the Your Marriage God s Way Workbook :
Within this volume are questions for each section of Your Marriage God s Way . Read the corresponding section in the book before you look at the workbook questions.
Instead of reading an entire chapter of the book and then answering the questions, it is best to read one section at a time, then answer the corresponding questions.
Some questions are addressed to both spouses, while others are for only the husband or wife. Whatever the case, be sure to discuss all your answers with your spouse.
Husbands and wives can share a book, but they should each have their own journal for writing down responses to the workbook.
While the goal is for couples to talk about their answers with each other, they should not do the work together or use the same journal. That s because some questions are designed to be answered separately from each other, then discussed when you are back together.
Plan the location and atmosphere in which you will discuss your responses: Would it be best over a meal together, or while on a walk? Most couples find it easier to be more consistent if they choose the same time and place each week.
TAKE YOUR TIME AND PRAY!
There is no rush. Allow time for prayer, conversation, and reflection. Do not hurry to answer questions, ask questions, or share your responses. So that you both have the opportunity to make the most of each lesson, consider working through no more than one chapter per day. Pray as a couple when you begin and conclude your times together. (If for some reason you are not able to do the workbook with your spouse, you should still pray.) When you begin, pray specifically for
graciousness and honesty in answering the questions
humility in receiving your spouse s responses
When you conclude, pray specifically for
your spouse to be the husband or wife God wants him or her to be
the Holy Spirit s help in applying what you have learned and making the appropriate changes
Finally, remember to thank God for the gospel that equips you to have the healthy, joyful, Christ-centered relationship He desires for you.
EXPECT TENSION
As you grow together, you may be surprised to discover bumps along the way. In chapter 2 of Your Marriage God s Way , on page 26, you ll read this:
As you work your way through this book, if you find yourself feeling frustration toward your spouse, recognize that God can use this for your good. Romans 8:28 says, We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. This can apply to marriage problems too. God is calling your attention to the areas in which you need to improve, and the best way to help each other grow is to be willing to ask each other tough questions.
This will be true as well when you use this workbook. Whenever you experience tension, remember, God is at work strengthening the weak areas of your relationship.
FOCUS ON THE WAY YOUR SPOUSE FEELS
Many questions in this workbook include the word feels . This is because
it is not a question of whether a husband thinks he loves his wife. It is a question of whether his wife feels loved.
it is not a question of whether a wife thinks she respects her husband. It is a question of whether her husband feels respected.
Consider these two passages from Your Marriage God s Way :
Note the