Today's Reading:
Song of Songs 5:1-8:14
James 1:1-18
Psalm 135:13-21
Click on Text Link to Read Online
Focus Verses: Song of Songs 7:10-12
10 I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. 11 Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages. 12 Let
us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their
blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom— there I will
give you my love.
Insight:
Jesus teaches us that in marriage "A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. What God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:7-8). In Song of Songs, this oneness is described by the voice of the beloved as "I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me."
Getting
away for some time alone together is an important way couples can
nurture this oneness. A weekend in the countryside, a walk in the park, a
few days away at a bed and breakfast, or a day trip and picnic can do a
lot to rekindle intimacy. Time alone celebrates the friendship and fans
the flames of desire.
Husbands and wives need to make
sure the demands of work and the daily grind of ongoing responsibilities
(family, parenting, work, and home) do not reduce their relationship to
a task sharing arrangement. They need to be more than committed
partners in life, they need to be lovers who enjoy and desire one
another.
Response and Action:
Time
alone with my wife is a priority I must keep. A short time together
each morning for conversation, coffee, and prayer has proven to be a
real benefit to our relationship. Planning days and evenings to get away
and just enjoy each other is critical to our friendship and marriage.
These things don't just happen, so I will be intentional about getting
ideas on the calendar. We will also be careful to choose to do things
that give us the most opportunity to talk and interact with each other.
O
God, thank you for my wife. Give us the wisdom to take time for each
other. Thanks for days every now and then that afford us the opportunity
to put the rest of life on hold. Give us hearts for each other, and
give us the contentment and satisfaction that come from knowing we
belong to each other, and that together we belong to you. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 13:4
4 Marriage
should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will
judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Resources:
Your Time-Starved Marriage: How to Stay Connected at the Speed of Life
by Dr. Les Parrott III
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