Home > Work > You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity
41 " Is there anything you want more than to hear “well done” come from God’s lips? Not “well said” or “well thought out,” but “well done.” Do "
― Francis Chan , You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity
42 " We need to remember at every moment that God stands actively against us when we are prideful (James 4:6). You may think you are digging your heels in against your spouse, but it’s ultimately God you’re opposing, and you’re inviting His opposition in return. "
43 " This isn’t a very popular idea in the American church, where we separate our love for God from our service to God. We say we love God most, but it’s a vague statement that yields little action. "
44 " Jesus was clear that following Him meant—get this—following Him. The church has put so much effort into inventing a new form of “following Christ” that doesn’t require imitating Him. We teach that even though Jesus allowed His rights to be trampled, we should fight for ours. We teach that even though Jesus lived simply, we have the right to live luxuriously (some prefer the term “comfortably”). Even as we teach that Jesus was rejected by the world, we pursue popularity. "
45 " For those of us who nurture a win-at-any-cost mentality, this verse should shake us to the core. Only a fool would sacrifice this much for any victory. Let this sink into your brain: God actively fights against the proud person. The pride required to win your argument and defeat your “enemy” provides you with a new opponent: God. "
46 " A quote I heard recently: “We are God’s plan to make it believable that He is good and loving and true.” God has always chosen to reveal Himself through people. "
47 " Find all of your security and worth in being a child of God, a member of Christ’s body. "
48 " This is why Jesus told people to count the cost of following Him. When great crowds would gather to see and hear Him, He knew that many were there for the show. They didn’t want to hear Jesus say, “deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” Many were not ready for Jesus to tell them that unless they were willing to give up everything they had, they were not worthy to be His disciples (Luke 14:33). Jesus wanted everyone to re-think their enthusiasm for Him. "
49 " the reality is, if we truly desire to follow Jesus, we will definitely not fit in with this culture. "
50 " You should really spend the rest of your life and the rest of your marriage trying to live more humbly and more sacrificially with respect to the people around you. "
51 " There is a battle we have to face every single day. There are weapons we have to pick up and be ready to defend ourselves with—every single day. To live in this world and not allow ourselves to be bullied and enticed by a mindset that is not biblical, we have to be seriously engaged, and seriously on our guard. "
52 " Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13, NIV) "
53 " So many couples act like five-year-old soccer players when it comes to the spiritual war that we find ourselves in. God calls us to fight in an ongoing battle against darkness. "
54 " Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11) "
55 " If we don’t acknowledge the constant battle and begin to fight diligently, pride will sink deeper into our already self-serving hearts and destroy our lives and our marriages. "
56 " Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1–4) "
57 " Without a healthy fear of God, we will not fully enjoy life and love. Without it, our priorities will be completely off. Yet if a healthy fear of God is at the foundation of who we are, a beautiful life and marriage can be built upon this. "
58 " The Bible begins with a Being so powerful that His words command non-existent things to exist, and they obey. It presents to us a Being so holy and just that He once drowned every person on earth, sparing only the eight people who still looked to Him. This book is full of examples of God punishing the arrogant and blessing the humble. And the Bible concludes with visions of a terrifying future judgment, where every person is cast eternally into either a place of perfect pleasure in union with God or a place of ultimate pain apart from Him. "
59 " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! "
60 " God takes center stage in every story of Scripture. He is the Creator of life, the Judge, and the Savior. So while the Bible does talk about marriage, let’s be careful not to use the Bible just to find helpful tips on marriage. There is a much, much bigger picture. "