What Did You Expect? – Marriage Maintenance
I’ve been reading what is my new favorite book and resource on marriage. It’s called What Did You Expect? by Pastor Paul Tripp. There are some great resources that emphasize things like Ephesians 5, husbands love your wifes, wives respect your husbands, etc. This is the first one I have read that talks about how a marriage between Christians is supposed to be gospel centered, kingdom of God centered, not simply Bible centered. What does that mean? It means that when there is stress in a marriage it usually means that someone feels like their own kingdom is under attack. It means that they are focused on their kingdom instead of God’s kingdom. It means that two sinners saved by grace married one another, and that the ministry of reconciliation that we have as believers to extend to the world, we also have the responsibility to have an ongoing ministry of reconciliation in our marriage and in our family. To have kingdom centered marriages and families. Let me roll out some quotes.
A marriage of love, unity, and understanding will flow out of a daily worship of God as creator.
A marriage of love, unity, and understanding will flow out of a daily worship of God as sovereign.
A marriage of love, unity, and understanding will flow out of a daily worship of God as Savior.The reconciliation of a marriage must be a lifestyle, not just the response you have when things go bad.
If you are going to have a marriage that lives in unity, understanding, and love, you must have a little-moment approach to your marriage.
You must live in your marriage with a harvest mentality.
You must live in your marriage with an investment mentality.
You must live in your marriage with a grace mentality.We will give ourselves to a regular lifestyle of confession and forgiveness. We will come clean and deal honestly with our sin, weakness, and failure.
We will make growth and change our agenda.
We will work together to build a sturdy bond of trust.
We will commit to building a relationship of love.
We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace.
We will work to protect our marriage.
See what I mean? If your marriage needs a tune up, if it needs some repair, or preventative maintenance, I cannot encourage you enough to get this book and do what it says. Below are the links to buy it through our Amazon store in both book and Kindle form. I have ordered two copies of the book for our library, not for sale. I encourage you to buy it on your own instead of through the church. You get the same deal.
Book - http://astore.amazon.com/theexcchu-20/detail/1433511762
Kindle – http://astore.amazon.com/theexcchu-20/detail/B003DRO5S0
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3 Comments
by Jackie Peters
On June 21, 2011
Is this book going to be on the book exchange so I can order it?
by Corby
On June 21, 2011
Click on the link above labeled “book” and it will take you right to it.
by Rebecca Egg
On June 24, 2011
I have to say that this book is excellent! I love how it directs each of us to look at our own part in our marriage. No blame game. It points us to our responsibility in our walk and the biggest WOW, I am a sinner married to a sinner!!!!
The Lord has been directing my heart to “grace” for quite some time now. How easily I can forget to offer grace to others and how I forget that I live by and in God’s grace every minute of every day.
Each day I have to purposely pray to ask God help me walk in His grace. To offer this same grace to others that He has lavished upon me. His grace must not only be offered to those around me continually but that I have to remember that my husband should be extended this grace first, foremost and always. John should not receive the end of my grace, he should always be at the front of the line. How often it is that others get the best of me while my family gets what is left over, if there is any left to give.
I highly recommend this book and I am only in the beginning of it. I also pray that each of us will examine ourselves closely and be willing to hear and see what God is showing us and to have teachable, humble hearts. And that we will continually walk in God’s grace and mercy and unfailing love!