LIONS AND TIGERS AND bear den! Oh My!

 

Michiganders have a fever right now.  The Lions and Tigers are on a winning streak.  Dan has been down in his bear den watching the big screen and hoping the games are aired on peasant vision (we do not have cable only rabbit ears, so we call that “peasant vision”).  I have been hearing noises drifting up the stairway, a little growling going on down there.  With all these games on TV lately, it has taken me back to my cheerleading days.  This also reminded me of what Dan encourages the young women to do, whenever we teach a pre-marriage class.

Any couple who has attended one of these classes has heard my husband say; “Ladies if you want a champion become his cheerleader, he needs you to be his biggest fan”. 

In marriage we have all been tempted or have fallen into ruts.  Those days where we go through the motions, taking life for granted and letting the “little foxes steal our grapes”, resulting in bitterness.  Despite of what we feel like doing we can always overcome these emotions that try to dictate us, push past them and choose a better way.  Once we have pushed past these emotions and acted rightly we will begin to reap the fruit of this labor of love.  People say; well he or she does not deserve it because they have been doing this or that.  (Please see disclaimer at the end of this article)

Ephesians 5:2(TMSG)
Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Edification:  according to Webster means; to build, establish, instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge, uplift, enlighten, inform, inspire, nurture.

Let’s take a look at a few verses and learn about edification from the Word of God.

Psalms 34:13-17(NKJV)
    Keep your tongue from evil,     And your lips from speaking deceit.
    Depart from evil and do good;     Seek peace and pursue it.
    The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,      And His ears are open to their cry.
    The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,     To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
    The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,      And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Romans 14:19(NKJV)
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 

Romans 15:2(NKJV)
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 

Hebrews 3:13(NKJV)
but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

1 Peter 3:9-17(NKJV)
not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 
For      “He who would love life     And see good days,     Let him refrain his tongue from evil,     And his lips from speaking deceit.
    Let him turn away from evil and do good;     Let him seek peace and pursue it.
    For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,     And His ears are open to their prayers;      But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”  
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 
having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 
For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Let’s cheer our spouse on today, go ahead - go on a winning streak!

Please read this disclaimer, no amount of edification will work with abusers and where domestic violence is occurring.

Disclaimer: Domestic violence is a grave darkness. As many as one in four women are a victim of domestic violence.[i] These stats are the same for the churched as well as the un-churched. Submission principles as well as conflict resolution will not work in domestic violence. Safety is of the utmost importance. God never intended a woman to be covered with violence. Read Psalm 55 and Malachi 2:14-16. For more information on domestic violence visit: www.abigails.org and www.ndvh.org. If you are a victim of domestic violence, do not access these websites from your home computer.

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[i] Lynette J. Hoy, Safe Relationships, Women’s 10-Weeks Series, 2004. 5.