I came across this video on YouTube that certainly got me thinking about, “how often do I tell my husband I love and respect him?”
Busyness, stress, and tiredness can cause us to forget to speak meaningful words of love and appreciation to our mate. Fortunately, this is something that doesn’t need to be difficult to correct. There are certainly some fun and expressive ways we can do this. Here are just a few enjoyable options you can purchase to help you tell your mate how much you love them every day of the year!
52 Weeks of Romance–Features over 100 scratch-off cards containing romantic I.O.U.’s suggestions. Comprised of coupons, romantic interludes and much more.
The Love Dare Day by Day–Here is a year of devotions that will encourage and challenge couples toward new steps in faith and love. Marital encouragements, reminders, and action points are included for 365 days of showing and telling your mate of your love for them.
“I Love You” Pillowcases–Here is a great reminder for saying “I love you” each night before you go to sleep.
If you happen to come up with any other great ways to say, “I love you,” I’d love to hear from you. This is definitely an area in marriage where words of love are so needed and can also create some memorable times together!
I recently heard a sermon in which our pastor illustrated how God’s Word can cut to our hearts like a sword, just like it did in Acts 2 when Peter spoke to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost. He preached to them about how they had crucified the Son of God. “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”(Acts 2:37–38a)
I was really impacted by our pastor’s statement when he said, “Before the truth can change you, it first has to cut you.”
As can be seen in the following chapters of Acts, those who were “cut to the heart” later devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, to prayer, and gave to anyone who had a need (Acts 2:42–45). The transformation that took place after their hearts were pierced began to show outwardly in what they said and did. The Truth changed them from the inside out. Then in turn, God’s Word, described as a seed in Luke 8:11, took root and grew in their lives as His Word continued to be preached and practiced in the early church.
As I have reflected on this message, I’ve been struck by how this kind of “surgery” needs to occur in many of us in order to benefit our marriages. Sometimes our hopes, expectations, routines, and even habits cause our hearts to harden toward our mate, causing positive and nourishing growth to be minimal or even non-existent.
Some things I’ve read and noticed in my teaching about marriage through listening and conversations causes me concern about how some couples view their marital and sexual relationship. Some of these center around attitudes like:
Women resenting their husbands because they are wired differently from them sexually
Husbands downplaying the need of their wives to be romanced and cherished
Wives who choose not to respect their husbands because he hasn’t earned it
Couples forgetting to keep each other as their top priority (after their relationship with Christ, that is) and allowing their child(ren) to become the “center of the family”
Spouses giving up on their marriages because they aren’t happy with their mate anymore
I find myself pondering what would happen if more of us underwent a “heart transformation.” God wants to convict us of our sins so our hearts and lives can be changed and our lives used more effectively for Him. He wants to plant seeds in our lives that will transfigure us and demonstrate to the world how God desires marriage to be.
In marriages between two good-willed people (mates who have their spouses’ best interests at heart), God’s Word provides answers for most any marital situation. I’ve witnessed and read testimonies of how sharing God’s Word through classes like An Invitation to Intimacy and Passionate Partnership have brought healing, forgiveness, and renewal. Initially, many are cut to the heart, and what follows are seeds that take root, resulting in nourishment and growth in marriages.
As the Church is waking up to what God desires for marriages and is boldly writing and speaking about His gifts to us, the time is ripe for Christians to reclaim what Satan has been allowed to steal!
Well, it’s February again, and you know what that means–love.
I wanted to give you some tips on ways to enhance your romantic relationship with your spouse. While this certainly is not an exhaustive list, I hope it will spark some creative ideas the two of you will enjoy doing together.
Place a flower on your lover’s pillow when they are not in the room.
Make a date to just go for a drive together
Send your mate an e-card, telling him/her how much you love and respect them
Hold hands while you walk along
Enjoy a bubble bath together, with candles being the only source of light (Don’t forget some romantic music, too
Kiss your spouse before you part ways for the day
Have your mate pick a number between 1 and ______, and then reward them with this many kisses
Surprise your mate with a new piece of lingerie (they make them for husbands, too)
Serve your mate breakfast in bed using your fine china and stemware
Eat dinner at home by candlelight
Go fly a kite together
Give your mate a small gift or love coupons every day leading up to Valentine’s Day
Buy a small brag book that holds pictures and write love notes and things you admire about your mate on each page
Take a long walk together
Give your mate a massage
Offer to do your mate’s “chores” for a day
Turn off the t.v. for one night and just talk
Start a pillow fight
Scatter rose petals all over your bed (silk ones won’t stain)
Hide a love note under your spouse’s dinner plate
Eat your dinner by candlelight
Play soft, instrumental music while dining at home
Leave love notes in places around the house where your mate will find them
Buy your spouse a key and say, “This is the key to my heart.”
And while you are thinking about love, now would be a great time to watch the movie, Fireprooftogether.
At the beginning of this class, you will finish talking about fantasy and how God gave us our imaginations so we could use them to help prepare us for lovemaking. It’s always fun to show women how fantasy, as God designed it, is a good and helpful exercise within marriage.
After this, it’s time to set the stage for Lorraine Pintus’ message about past sexual sin. This message is available on CD and can be purchased from their website. It’s extremely powerful and women become quite emotional during her talk.
Whenever I teach on past sexual sin during regular church programming, I put a sign on the outside of the door, requesting people not to interrupt our class. This helps to eliminate any interruptions during this intense and emotional time.
Originally posted 2009-07-02 09:29:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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