Scriptures:
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Ephesians 4:29 NKJV
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
NOTE: Would you take time to intentionally build your spouse up with words today
Couples Devotion – September13
September 13
In Christ, God sees us as righteous, holy, and beautiful (2 Corinthians 5:21)…. Jesus has the ability to overcome everything anyone has ever said about or to you. Sometimes your spouse points you directly to Jesus’s love. Sometimes your spouse’s affirmation stimulates us to more fully believe and accept the love we have in Christ. So, more than any other human relationship, marriage has a unique power to heal all hurts and convince us of our own distinctive beauty and worth. (Hardcover, p. 149; paperback, pp. 164-65)
THE POETRY OF THE HEART. Certainly the primary relationship of love we need is with God. But remember that though Adam was sinless, there was an emptiness that a relationship with God alone could not satisfy, a need for human love that the Creator had put into him. When Adam looks at Eve for the first time, he says, in the first poetry in the Bible: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). This was at the same time a covenant commitment as well as an explosive outburst of lyrical joy for her. The power of our spouse to give us a Christ like approval and healing love is vividly foreshadowed here. Know the power you have to build up your partner.
Reflection: Discuss with your spouse an additional place in your life (see yesterday’s devotional) where you need his or her encouragement and affirmation more.
Thought for prayer: Ask God to keep you from being too busy, tired, and distracted to accomplish one of your main callings in life-the edification of your spouse in love. Ask him of her to help you keep this in the forefront of your mind and attention.
Reference: The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy and Kathy Keller.