Only Begotten Son

For YOU (Good Friday Bonus)
JUST SHARING (from the “Couple’s Devotional Bible”)
This article’s author: Nate Adams
Bible Passage: John 3:16-21

Key Verse: John 3:16

Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I was shaving when I heard a crash in the bedroom. The full-length mirror that was leaning against our bedroom wall must have fallen. Then I heard Caleb’s scream.

I flew around the corner to see a zillion pieces of broken mirror on the floor – and Caleb, my 19-month-old, lying in the middle of it. Then I saw the blood.

The sight of my son’s blood overwhelmed me. I snatched him up and scanned his body. Though the glass had been scattered all around him, the only mark was a small scratch on the inside of his left ear. Only a trickle of blood flowed, so it was apparently more fear than injury that was forcing his tears.

The interesting thing about this little crisis is now I can’t read, hear or even think of John 3:16 without remembering Caleb lying in the middle of that broken glass. That most familiar Bible verse had become much too familiar, even trite to me. But now when I hear it I get a lump in my throat, thinking about what kind of determined, redemptive love could be strong enough to let an only Son cry out in pain on a cross.

A few months after Caleb’s accident, our second son was born. I no longer had an “only begotten son.” But as I experienced the joy of a new life and an expanded family, I realized in a fresh way that it was Jesus’ death that made it possible for the Only Begotten Son to have many brothers and sisters.

MARRIAGE BUILDERS

• How does having children, of your own affect your perception of God’s sacrifice of his only begotten son?

• How has sacrifice been part of love in your marriage relationship?

Additional Scripture Readings: Romans 5:8-9; Hebrews 9:20-28

Worthwhile Sacrifices

For Husband and Wife ( Day 18 of 18 )
JUST SHARING (from the “Couple’s Devotional Bible”)
This article’s author: Sally Conway
Bible Passage: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”

Marriages go through periods when the strong partner needs to carry the weaker one. And then later on, the roles will shift. Years ago, when Jim was struggling through a mid-life crisis, I did what I could to carry him. More recently, as I battled breast cancer, Jim carried me.

Not only was he with me through the biopsy and the surgery and the immediate days afterward; but when I began chemotherapy and really lost my power and my dignity, he stood by me emotionally and physically. He served me as if he had been hired to wait on my every need. I had an infection begin in my incision, and a large gaping hole developed. That had to be drained and dressed every day. My dear Jim would bend over me with his tender eyes. He cared for that infection every day for nearly ten months.

In times like that, you just hang on to each other. Jim went above and beyond the call of duty in seeing that I could recover. He let me be a miserable mess and helped me get through it. He said, “I’m here to help you get well.”

MARRIAGE BUILDERS

• Describe a time when you were struggling and your spouse was there for you.

• What are some of the strengths that make the two of you a good team?

Additional Scripture Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10; Hebrews 12:12

The Long Haul

For Husband and Wife (Day 17 — Maundy Thursday Bonus)
JUST SHARING (from the “Couple’s Devotional Bible”)
This article’s authors: Jim and Sally Conway
Bible Passage: Romans 2:1-16

Key Verse: Romans 2:7-8

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”

When a man and woman first marry, they usually start out quite happy. But according to statistics, they hit their lowest level of marital satisfaction by age thirty-five. And it tends to remain low until about age fifty, when it starts to rise again.

The couples who have long-term, happy marriages are the ones who make sure they have “togetherness time” on a regular basis. If careers and parenting responsibilities crowd their evening hours, they need to make time for each other in the mornings. Schedule a breakfast appointment at a restaurant, for example, where you can get caught up with each other’s lives.

If your marriage has become stale, there’s no better time than now to start doing romantic things – and establishing stronger emotional connectedness that will make your relationship more satisfying. It’s important that you do this, because over a period of years you’re going to go through several crises together. Things will happen with your children that will either be disappointments or tragedies. Your parents are aging, and it’s likely that at least one of them will die sooner than you expected them to. And there’s always the mid-life re-evaluation, which can be traumatic.

It’s important that you have your marriage relationship working well so you can make it through these tough times.

MARRIAGE BUILDERS

• How would you rate your marital satisfaction right now? Is it higher or lower than you expected at this time in your lives?

• When in the past week have you found spare moments for “togetherness time”?

Additional Scripture Readings: Job 23:10; James 1:12; Isaiah 48:10

Emotional Connections

For Husband and Wife ( Day 17 of 18 )
JUST SHARING (from the “Couple’s Devotional Bible”)
This article’s authors: Jim and Sally Conway
Bible Passage: Acts 2:25-28

Key Verse: Acts 2:28

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”

When a man enters his mid-life years, he often feels that his wife is mothering him. But instead of a mother, he wants his wife to be a “girlfriend.” By mid-life a man usually begins to concentrate more on his marriage. But in the meantime his wife has become a mother to their children, and in a sense her husband has become just one of the children.

For a woman to become a girlfriend to her husband, she needs to develop more spontaneity. It might mean assuming a younger outlook on life, or a younger approach to the relationship. She should think in terms of how a younger woman would act around her husband. She should show admiration and affirmation, and act more flirtatious.

More than anything it’s an attitude. No matter how old you are, you can always regain a more light-hearted approach to marriage. Other things in life aren’t as urgent as they seem. They can wait. It’s time to give your spouse your time and attention.

MARRIAGE BUILDERS

• What were some of the most enjoyable aspects of your courtship?

• How could some of those “dating” behaviors fit back into your life together today?

Additional Scripture Readings: Proverbs 5:18; Ephesians 5:33