Winning in Marriage Part Eight

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

2 Peter 1:3 (NIV) “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

Have you ever been in a place when someone was trying to explain and teach you how to do something and it seemed very confusing and complicated. Maybe you almost felt like saying, “Can you just show me how to do this?” My personal belief is that is how most Christians feel when it comes to living out their Christianity. “Please, just tell and show me how to be a good Christian.” “Please, just tell and show me how to be a godly husband and father.” “Please, just tell and show me how to be a man or woman that is pleasing to God.”

Jesus is our ultimate role model but people that have strived to be Christ-like can be gifts from God to help us see and learn how to walk areas of our life out. For me personally, I’ve been blessed to have had role models to learn from for particular areas of my life. It’s something to pray for. Ask God to give you true role models. Don’t try to get to close to them. You will see their flaws. Every person has their flaws. But when God shows you that person that appears to excel in an area that you want to become more Christ like in, watch and learn from a distance or from as close as you can without getting too close. Some people do make good role models, but no one is perfect and everyone has flaws. Get too close and Satan will make sure you start to see only their flaws. Look at what they do right most of the time and they will be someone you can learn from. Have mercy and overlook the rest.

When I was only sixteen years old I met my first real Christian. He was a business man I worked for and he had qualities that stood out and that helped shape who I would become. One great quality was that he loved God and hated evil. He wasn’t overly verbal about it but he put his money where his mouth was. There were things he wouldn’t do or sell in his business that could have made him much more money – things that everyone else did do or sell! Playboys and pornography is an example. He hated what they represented and wouldn’t sell them even though they’d generate more income. That stood out to me. I will never forget him or the influence he had on my life.

Then there is my present Senior Pastor whom I have worked along side for almost twenty-five years. He is the greatest leader I have ever known. It’s why I’ve always stayed put. I’ve loved working for and learning from him. I never stop learning. His wife has had the same influence as she is one of the greatest women of prayer I have ever known. Their influence has helped me become a better leader and committed prayer.

There are other people that are like this – people that have influence and helped shape my life in particular areas. They have managed to take what Jesus taught and live it in a way that I desire to emulate. These kinds of people have been like gold to my development. I’ve had the Word of God, the example of Jesus, and then flesh and blood people that have given it their best whom I want to learn from.

When it came to the role models we needed for Marriage, I never saw a marriage that jumped out at me as the role model to follow. I wished I had as we needed so much help along the way. Instead Renee and I pressed into God’s Word to try and emulate what we could see in God’s Word that would help us possibly become a marriage that others would want to model. There are some verses I want to share with you next time that truly helped us establish a successful marriage. I’ll share them with you shortly. Today I want to leave this one verse as the foundation for that success. It’s found in 2 Peter 1:3. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

This verse says God’s divine power – not our own strength would help us walk out what we need to become. I took God at His Word and said, “I am not lacking in wisdom or strength. I can change and be a godly husband in God’s wisdom because I have His divine power working in me.” That was my absolute rock solid starting place and place I’d return to whenever trouble reared its head. I would not move from it – even when it appeared I was failing. I’d resist the devil and say, “No devil, even though I succumbed to your stupid temptation and said something stupid to my wife, I will ask God and my wife to forgive me, I’ll ask her how to do this better, and God’s power in me will help me get it right. His power will even help me clean up this mess when I feel like a failure. I have God’s power. His Word says “His divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness…” This is settled. I refuse discouragement. I refuse the thoughts of failure. I love my wife. I will get this right in Jesus name.

I continued to methodically go through the steps that God laid out in His Word that said if I do them I’d grow, learn, and eventually win – “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:8) I’ll finish up this series and go through those steps next week.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/