Christmas Gifts for Your Spouse and Yourself
FOR YOUR SPOUSE –
We have been watching something very interesting for quite some time now in the Body of Christ. It is the lack of love, honor and respect that married couples give one another on a daily basis. It has become a disgrace to those who call themselves Christians, for it is the very foundational things upon which Christ called us to deliver to one another when we take our marriage vows. How often we break those sacred vows. Most often we see husbands who absolutely refuse to take the spiritual leadership in their households. When their mate attempts to lovingly approach them with spiritual matters, they refuse to listen. The wives we deal with here at PITFH often have spent many long hours in prayer for their mate unselfishly seeking the Lord in their behalf, yet when they approach their man, they are rebuffed. Conversely, wives need to take note and be watchful of their attempts to control to get their way. In both cases where is the love, honor and respect that they promised each other at the altar?
Communication [which includes good conflict resolution practices], sexual issues and money are the three biggest areas that plague marriages today. Sexual issues between marriage partners in the Body of Christ are off the charts often driven by pornography and masturbation issues within our culture. And finally, money issues sum it up when more and more couples are refusing to share in their finances opting rather for separate bank accounts. This alternative suggests that their are unresolved issues between the two and is evidenced by their lack of trust when it comes to the money!
LOVE, HONOR AND RESPECT are the very best gifts you can give your spouse for Christmas. They will cost you, but the results will be that in return, you will reap LOVE, HONOR AND RESPECT right back at ya! For whatsoever a man or woman sows, that also shall he or she reap!
FOR YOURSELF –
The very best gift your can give yourself is humility. It’s reward is greatness; the greatness that the Lord gives us when we truly walk humbly before Him and our fellow man. Kris Vallotton writes the following:
Humility and greatness walk hand-in hand. That’s right, true humility is fully connected to being rewarded. Most of us know Matthew 23:12 says that, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” So the act of humility is the very pathway to promotion! However for some reason the culture in the church has built shame around the concept of reward. It’s become a dirty word. In many people’s minds, the goal of being rewarded, successful, or even glorious, is one that we should remove from our hearts for fear that we would become independent and prideful. But even Jesus achieved greatness for the sake of reward: “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross,” (Hebrews 12:12). How have we as a church become so contradictory to what is clearly laid out in Scripture?
15 Keys for Remaining Humble
Jesus actually encourages us into greatness by showing us how to attain it: by humbling ourselves. So how do we live out the tension of being rewarded while remaining humble? Here are 15 attributes of humility that we must hold to as God exalts us:
1. We must remain teachable.
2. We have to be influenceable.
3. We have to be able to receive correction without defending ourselves.
4. We must rejoice when others are celebrated.
5. No job can be too small for us.
6. We don’t have to always be right.
7. We should naturally seek the advice of others.
8. We actually do pray and not just talk about it.
9. We must freely admit our flaws, mistakes and failures.
10. We have to live to help others succeed.
11. We cannot be easily offended.
12. We have to have a thankful attitude.
13. We must refuse to live with a sense of entitlement, thinking someone owes us something.
14. We have to be quick to forgive and not hold grudges.
15. We have to be confident in who we are and content with who we are not.
I want to encourage you to take a minute and invite Holy Spirit to search your heart. If there’s something on this list that leaves you with room for improvement, He will teach you and guide you into it. Also ask yourself if you’re okay with the greatness that God has for you. Can you receive from Him without shame? If you see greatness in another, do you quickly cut them down or can you celebrate the ways that God is using them?