Friday, November 7, 2014

Be Captivating!

1 Peter 3:1 (The Message)

Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs.  There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty.

1 Peter 3:1 inspired me this morning.   Even though this verse specifically addresses wives, I believe it can also apply to men.  

Those with Christian spouses can learn from this verse too.   Christian spouses may be more sensitive to words about God, but they still can be captivated by our lives of holy beauty. 

Often after the wedding, we tend to try to change our spouses instead of being responsive to their needs.  

When we first became Christians, God didn’t expect us to change before He accepted us.  In fact, Romans 5:8 says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

If God could love us in our weaknesses (and we have them, Christian or not), with Christ’s help, we should be able to love our spouses unconditionally too, putting them before our own needs.  

 I love 1 Peter 1:22 in The Message:  Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it.” 

SO THIS WEEK:

If you’ve been trying to change your spouse, STOP.  You can only change yourself and that should be your goal -- becoming more Christlike.   

Think about your mate's strengths (not weaknesses), and express to him/her how fortunate you are to have him/her in your life.  Words of encouragement mean more than you can ever know to your spouse.  I challenge you to be your spouse's best cheerleader by praising him daily.


In addition, reflect on 1 Peter 3:1 and 1 Peter 1:22, and let it challenge your way of thinking.