Cup O' Joy: {Daily Choice....Fairy Tale Marriage}

1 Corinthians 13:8

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁸ Love never fails.



1 min:

Perhaps your marriages isn't the fairy-tale dream you had dreamed it would be. Your prince devotes his time and energy to work, sports, the computer, the yard, the car... anything but you. You feel like his college roommate instead of a soul mate. You may be starting to wonder if it's worth staying or if you should just give up.  But real life isn't a fairy tale and real love isn't a fuzzy feeling... it's a choice that God calls you to make each moment of the day. Choose to love your husband with the same unconditional love that God continually shows you.



5 min:

Pray:  Thank you, God, that I can be honest with you about my dissapointments with my marriage. I know what you are calling me to do... to choose to unconditionally love my husband and confess that some days it's hard. Help me choose love. Continue to pray as the Spirit leads you, or just sit quietly in God's presence.


10 min:

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

New International Version (NIV)

1 Corinthians 13

 ¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
 ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 John 3:18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 Peter 1:22

New International Version (NIV)

 ²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.^[a]

1 John 4:16

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

Genesis 2:24

New International Version (NIV)

 ²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.




A Picture of Marriage.....

Ephesians 5:21-32

New International Version (NIV)

Instructions for Christian Households

 ²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
 ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^[b] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.


Honor marriage; be faithful.....

Hebrews 13:4

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁴ Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Good advice for marriage....

1 Peter 3:1-8

New International Version (NIV)

1 Peter 3

 ¹ Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
 ⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
 ⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

Source: etsy.com via Jenny on Pinterest

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A submissive wife?

 Gooood Morning ladies! Today's shot of espresso has been brewing in my brain for some time and I just haven't been able to put it inot words...So here's my best shot!

In our generation it is so odd to hear someone say to be "submissive," isn't it?  Sounds like you are supposed to bow down and worship whoever you are submitting to.  I guess that's why I cringe when I read in scripture that I am supposed to submit to my husband.  M and I went to a marriage conference this past weekend and there are always going to be things that rub you the wrong way, but there were some key points that I took away from the time we had together. 

First, let's lay out some scriptures that we will use throughout this blog. 

Ephesians 5:22-33

"²²  Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

²⁵  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^{[a] 28} In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰ because we are members of his body. ³¹  “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³ However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

and

Colossians 3:18

^"18  Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord."

Ouch!  Sounds like we are like a maid servant right?  Well that's what I thought to for a long time.  As I have gotten older (And I know I'm not THAT old) I have realized that if both the male and female are designed to be a "head of the household" it would be quite chaotic!  God designed us to have different roles than our husbands, and the more I have trusted God to let M make the right decisions, the more I feel relaxed and not so tense all the time!

At the conference this weekend the woman speaker said that ever since Eve "Got up and went and took control" we have been trying ever since!  And when you sit and think for a few minutes isn't it true?  When you think your husband isn't doing something fast enough or just the way you want it done...you just do it yourself?  I know I am guilty of that...can I get a AMEN?  One of the fruits of the spirit is patience...maybe we should try that when we are letting our husbands live out their roles as the head of the household?  I by no mean think that women should be at home all day saying to their husbands, "Your wish is my command," and wait patiently on instruction. But I think we get so twisted over responsibilities that we weren't created to handle. 

I love the picture that Ephesians paints though of a marriage.  Although it says that a wife is to submit to her husband, it says we are to do it as the church submits to Christ.  Don't we joyfully submit to Christ's pan for our lives (When we know what it is anyways haha)?  Don't we "Consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2-4)?  Why is it that we get so stuck on having to be a slave when it says to submit to your husband?  Do we think he will take advantage of that? 

If you continue reading in Ephesians it speaks to the husband's responsibility (WOWZER!).  Love your wife as Christ loves the church...did you grasp that?  Because it is really hard for me to grasp that...that MY husband is called and commanded to love ME in the same way that CHRIST loves the CHURCH!  WOW!  What an amazing picture of love that is!  That my husband should love me unconditionally, be my comfort when I am vulnerable, my strength when I am weak, to protect me...even if it costs him his life. 

This week as we contemplate our roles in our marriages...I want you to take some special time out of your day (I know...you already have 38 hours of stuff to do in the 24 you have) to specifically pray for your husbands.  It is such an enormous responsibility he has to love and care for you.  Pray that he will "Be strong and Courageous." 

As for me, I pray for my Husband to be a Joshua.  That he would stand up and say to the world "choose this day whom you will serve, but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

Our marriages take work, lots of work. And it takes committment on both sides.  Our committment is to love our husbands and support and encourage them to be the men that God created them to be. 

I hope you have a great week!

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21 Days To Being Your Husband's Girl Friend Day 21

Alright ladies! 21 days have gone by and you have been being the best girlfriend you remember how to be. I hope for all of you that your husband has responded and that you guys have had new life in your marriage! I pray that there was a spark that lit a new fire in your marriage and that you will protect it and cherish it by continuing to be your husband's girlfriend! Alright here is the big last day! Are you ready for it?! Drum role please...........

Day 21 Decide to daily date your man for the rest of your marriage. Come up with your own list of ways that you will continually date him! Make it a habit and I know your marriage will be better for it!

So there it is! I have done all I can do, you are on your own little grasshopper! Feel free to reference back anytime you want if you have any ideas! If you meet a friend who asks you how you have such an awesome marriage tell her it is because you are not only a wife and mother but your are your husband's girlfriend! Then send her here for the 21 day challenge!

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21 Days To Being Your Husband's Girl Friend Day 20

A few months after my son was born T and I went on a date. I know I had to of looked a mess that night because I still felt a mess! We began to talk about how things were now that we were parents and we began to talk about all the adjustments. He then mentioned how I was always wearing my "comfy" pants when he got home. Now I knew I was wearing those pants because I did not have anything else to wear that fit. And he was just letting me know in a nice way that it was hard to be attracted and flirty when I was giving the signal that I wasn't in the mood for flirty! I went out the next day and bought some jeans that fit (but only one pair because I was gonna get back into my pre-baby jeans) and I made sure to look nice most days when T got home. Btw, it made me feel better to when I cleaned myself up.

Day 20 Put makeup on and look nice when he gets home from work (not in your comfy pants)

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21 Days To Being Your Husband's Girl Friend Day 18

Day 18 Be flirty and send a flirty text message while he is at work or just throughout the day (if its the weekend and you are home together flirt all day)

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{Shot of Espresso} Wednesda

Good morning! Welcome to your "Shot of Espresso"! 

I am reading a fabulous book right now entitled, "A marriage without regrets."  A dear friend of mine gave me a copy when I got married, I read it then...and now 4 years later I am dusting it off and reading it again.  I just want to give you a taste of something this morning, that we may not otherwise think of in our daily lives.  

"What is God's standard of success?  It is obedience to His Word."  Let's couple this with a scripture: 

"Be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.  This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night,  so that you may be careful to do according to all  that is written in it;  for then you will make your prosperous, and then you will have success.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous!  So not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:7-9)

How often do we "meditate on God's work day and night?"  I want to challenge you today to Be strong and Courageous!  Lean on the promises that our faithful God has given us in his word today and rejoice in the promise that our God is faithful!  

I hope you have a fabulous day today, and I pray that God would reveal himself in a very special way to each and every one of you! 

Thanks for reading!

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