Making Your Marriage Smooth and Shinning

Making Your Marriage Smooth and Shinning

By: Pastor Sina Abegunde

Text:1 Samuel 17:40 (NLT)
He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across to fight Goliath.

Introduction

·         Looking at the lower course of any stream, you will fine neat, smooth and some shiny stones in various shapes and sizes. From these we can learn powerful lessons on marriage. How did they get smooth and shinning?

·         DECISIONS

§  Deut. 30:19; Jos. 24:15

§  Decisions determine destiny. You will have to decide to make your marriage work, to stay together especially in fire, to obey God no matter what happens etc.

§  Marriage begins with a decision and good marriages are based on continuous, consistent good decisions. Decisions to be quiet. At times to lose an argument and have your marriage.

·         OPENNESS

§  Genesis 2:25

§  If there is no transparency there is no marriage. Yorubas always say that Opoloponikoniigbeyawomo, ibagbepoloku meaning “most couples do not have a marriage. They are simply living together.

§  Openness to:

·         One another

·         God and biblical corrections

·         Godly counsel

·         LEADERSHIP

§  Psalm 128, Proverbs 20:29

§  Everything rises and falls on leadership.

§  Failure of marriage is failure of leadership e.g. Adam, Elimelech, Nabal.

§  Develop family purpose, values, strategies, goals etc.

·         ANGER MANAGEMENT

§  Proverbs ; Ephesians 4: 26, 31

§  Anger is a choice. It is sometimes a display of foolishness, immaturity and lack of emotional intelligence.

§  Love will not give you a good home, knowledge will. Only intelligent and sacrificial love that will do.

·         PAY ATTENTION

§  Songs of Solomon 2:15; James 3:4

§  Pay attention to little foxes that destroy the vine. What you think does not matter may become a serious matter. Little things sometime do great harm.

§  Never take your spouse’s pain or complain for granted.

·         OPTIMISM

§  Isaiah 43:2

§  Hope helps us to cope.

§  Smooth marriages are products of rough processes.

§  A shinning gold has passed through fire, else it is fake. So when you are going through fire, keep hope alive.

Conclusion

·         God is looking for smooth homes to raise smooth children (living stones) that He can use to kill giants in their own generation.

·         If things are going to be smooth, it is going to be rough first.

·         You must not stay rough and get bitter. You must pass through roughness and get smooth and shinning.

·         Good marriage is never a destination, it is a journey on the road of life. Remember that sometimes to fix a road, it can go from bad to worse to best. So when the journey looks rough, focus on the smooth, shinning, beautiful destination.