Follow God’s example in everything you do just as a much-loved child imitates his father: Ephesians 5:1
We Just Need Some Peace.
When I think of peace, I think of the absence of turmoil. It reminds me of my growing up years on my grandparents’ farm. Each summer day there was an adventure and it was a place where I was unconditionally loved and life was free from any conflict. It was a time of peace for me. I hear the word used often in the counseling room. “We just need some peace.” What I think most couples are saying to me is that they need the chaos to stop.
In marriage, we have at least two types of chaos. There is chaos we cause and there is chaos from other sources. Both can affect our peace. I think there can be peace for us in either circumstance. Jesus gave us a great example as he slept in a boat being rocked and rolled by a storm.
Peace. Although we cannot control the storms in our lives, we can let God help us control our responses to them. This is what I would like for you to think about today. Are you doing anything to rob your marriage of peace? What are you doing to build peace in your marriage? Are you letting God give you His peace in the midst of your storms?
Today’s One Thing: Ask God to help you bring peace into your marriage and to give you the inner peace that comes from Him.
DON’T JUST SURVIVE! – Your Marriage Was Meant To Thrive!
If you like these series of tips and want to receive your One Thing Email please sign up at http://awesomemarriage.com/onething (It’s free!)
Our Daily Bread
When Sharks Won’t Bite.
One who is full loathes honey from the comb………..Proverbs 27:7
My children were thrilled, but I felt uneasy. During a vacation, we visited an aquarium where people could pet small sharks kept in a special tank. When I asked the attendant if the creatures ever snapped at fingers, she explained that the sharks had recently been fed and then given extra food. They wouldn’t bite because they weren’t hungry.
What I learned about shark petting makes sense according to a proverb: “One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet” (Proverbs 27:7). Hunger—that sense of inner emptiness—can weaken our discernment as we make decisions. It convinces us that it’s okay to settle for anything that fills us up, even if it causes us to take a bite out of someone.
God wants more for us than a life lived at the mercy of our appetites. He wants us to be filled with Christ’s love so that everything we do flows from the peace and stability He provides. The constant awareness that we’re unconditionally loved gives us confidence. It enables us to be selective as we consider the “sweet” things in life—achievements, possessions, and relationships.
Only a relationship with Jesus gives true satisfaction. May we grasp His incredible love for us so we can be “filled to the measure [with] all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19) for our sake—and the sake of others.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
REFLECT & PRAY: Those who see Jesus as the Bread of Life will never be hungry.
Credit: Our Daily Bread