(July 9th) The Grace Solution: Marriage Today with Jimmy & Karen Evans

Ok, so I realized I have been a slacker in posting some of my random thoughts. I haven’t been a slacker in reading just in typing them up. I will put them up according to the day they were written in my journal. I’ll do better…

July 9^th

Marriage Today: The Grace Solution: Jimmy & Karen Evans show

Luke 6: 38 Give and it will be given to you. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your pocket. The standards you use for others will be applied to you.”

"It" is not just money; it can be your service, time, expertise. Your marriage will not be the same in five years. The decisions you make now will determine if your marriage is better or worse; but it won’t be the same. You must be in agreement about every aspect of your marriage whether it is money, children, sex, and hobbies, whatever. That is the point in a marriage vision retreat: to come to a common place on the important issues in your marriage. You have to start with the big questions. Do you know the purpose God put you together? You need to discover it. God has a purpose for your marriage just as He does everything else in your life. Proverbs 29:11 without a common understanding we can’t walk together. Genesis 1 God gives light before he gives anything else. A vision retreat should shed light on the purpose of your marriage by accomplishing 4 things:

1.       Clarity: Why did God, put you together? How do you know if you are being successful without anything to measure?

2.       Compassion: Write it and make it plain. God gives you desires and fulfills them. This should motivate your and keep you motivated about your marriage.

3.       Purity: without vision cast off restrain. It is impossible to turn a negative thought into a positive action. Without vision negative thoughts direct you. ‘Try not to mess up’ means you are focused on what not to do instead of what to do.

4.       Unity: When there is division, it means there are two visions. There should be one vision for your marriage. In Luke 11:17 Jesus states “every kingdom divided against itself is ruined. A house divided against itself falls. Provision means for vision. You won’t have a vision for your marriage if you have division in any area of it: finances, jobs, children, sex, hobbies....any of it.