S.T.A.N.D.

Truth

So much truth in this one and it can definitely apply both ways. However, men, this one is for you.

Husbands, you have a very unique calling and ability to set the tone of your household. Your family is a direct reflection of your leadership and love. Let that sink in... it’s a sobering thought!

As a husband, you are responsible before God for how you love your wife—she is His daughter first, and your wife second. He loved her first. Care for her wisely... "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). How can you "give yourself" up for your wife? Let's explore.

1. Your faith. Find your worth, importance, and identity first in Christ. This is the foundation for any true, sacrificial love you can give to your wife and kids.

2. Your time. Time is your most precious and limited resource. Give your best time to your bride. Let everything else have the leftovers.

3. Your attention. Listen carefully, consider thoughtfully, and respond compassionately. Refuse to let your focus be divided when you're at home. Ditch distractions and engage.

4. Your provision. Providing for your family doesn't begin and end with your bank account. That's part of it, but you're also called to provide so much more... emotional energy and stability, spiritual leadership, prayer, and the list goes on. Give generously, but don't let your occupation be the only way you contribute to the health of your marriage and family. You have so much more to give!

This is just a start, but I hope it gets you thinking.

Men, love your brides well! Give yourself up for your wife as Christ did for his Church... doing so is wise, healthy, and obedient to your call as a husband.

Stay fierce,
Ryan

Live by this every single day.

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Living as one in marriage starts with well ordered priorities. Many understand what good priorities are (God first, then spouse, then kids, then everything else), but we can live contrary to that understanding. How we live reflects true priorities. This quote is as relevant today as the day it was written; let's walk through it.

1) "Prefer the person before money." How is your work/family balance? If you or your spouse is working so much that it takes away from family time, adjustment is needed. Take a look at your lifestyle, your expenses, and your buying habits. Are the extra hours necessary? Is the money worth it? Only you can answer these questions honestly and use wisdom to live in a way that keeps your marriage as a priority.

2) "Virtue before beauty." We live in a very externally focused culture. Character is often sacrificed for external appearances, and sometimes we can let those appearances affect how we love our spouses. Beauty is good and should be appreciated! But real beauty is far deeper than what you see with your eyes. Beauty starts with your identity in Christ: who God says you are and who your spouse is. Let that "virtue" – your spouse's identity in Christ – be the focus of your affections for one another.

3) "Mind before body." Your spouse's mind – their personality, ideas, and ways of expressing them – will only grow better with time. Your deepest affections for each other will go far beyond your bodies (though we hope you grow in your physical attractions too!). Your deepest connections happen between your hearts and minds - your beliefs, intellect, and intuition. Prefer your spouse's mind; prefer their soul. When you do, you prefer the deepest parts of them.

We pray that you and your spouse grow deeper together as you learn to live as one. Most of all, we pray that you see each other as God sees you: lovely, cherished, and full of value in Christ.

Love fiercely,
Ryan & Selena

12 Scriptures to Pray Over Your Marriage/Future Marriage - Waiting for Your Boaz The best thing you can ever do for your partner no matter where you are in life is to pray for them. Marriage is a precious covenant.

Never give up. Keep praying keep believing, keep speaking it out. Every word out of your mouth matters. What you say will heal or kill.

A prayer for your marriage this Sunday morning. Feel free to pray it as a guide or to allow it to create in you your own prayer for unity in your marriage.

Dear Lord, unity and oneness in our marriage is about so much more than just agreeing on things. Your Word tells us that our unity actually reflects You to others. Our disunity reveals how far we are from You in our spiritual lives and character. Help me to keep a mindset of unity that is tied to the truth in Your Word, rather than view our decisions and disagreements as competition of thoughts and will.

Jesus described the purpose of unity when He said, “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me,” (John 17:23). Unity is our way of sharing and validating Your love not only for Christ, and that You sent Him, but also for all of us. In Jesus we have redemption of our sins but this testimony is mangled and marred when we live in the most intimate relationship You have created on earth, that of marriage, with disharmony.

Jesus said we are “perfected in unity.” That being so, we are far from perfected when we quarrel or hold strong to our own desires or decisions, with no regard for our mate. Help me – help us – to be perfected spiritually through the sanctifying process of unity in our marriage. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tony Evans