Reaping and Sowing
“”… for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” Galatians 6:7(NAS)
Devotion:
My friend Amy really made an impression on me by one simple little thing she did recently for her husband. She had scheduled a hair appointment on the day Mike was off work. She didn’t tell him about the appointment; she just knew that he loves to be with his little girls and that he’d agree to be home while she went to her appointment.
The day before, however, Mike said he was planning to go golfing with a friend on his day off. Now here’s where she impressed me! She simply said, “Sounds great! Have fun!” She didn’t even mention the hair appointment!
She could have responded in so many different ways. She could have begrudgingly responded, “I have a hair appointment, but I’ll reschedule.” She could have dug in her heels and said, “No way. I already have plans, and I need you to watch the girls.” She could have complained about her lack of freedom, as she’s the mother to two little girls and her husband travels frequently.
But she didn’t. Instead she responded selflessly. With her gracious response to her husband, she lived out Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (NAS).
As Amy sows into her marriage godly principles such as selflessness instead of selfishness, she’s reaping the blessings of a unified, intimate, and joyful marriage.
Let’s ask ourselves today: What attitudes and actions are we sowing into our own marriages? Here’s a few to consider: Respect or contempt? Thankfulness or complaining? Submission or rebellion? Gentleness or harshness? Patience or irritability? Forgiveness or unforgivness?
If we’re experiencing strife or distance in our marriages, we need to ask God to show us if we might be reaping what we’re sowing. God will reveal to us any attitudes or actions which grieve Him. Then we can confess them and replace them with obedience to God’s principles for us as wives.
Dear Lord, Thank You for my husband and my marriage. Reveal to me any attitudes or actions which hinder my marriage. Please make me willing to obey You, knowing that in obedience I’ll find closeness to You and to my husband. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
What a Husband Needs from His Wife by Melanie Chitwood
Capture His Heart by Lysa TerKeurst
Application Steps:
Write out on a 3 x 5 card one of the verses found in today’s devotion, or another which will help you in your marriage. Carry it with you and repeat it through your day.
Reflections:
Read the list of attitudes listed in the devotion. Does one of these stand out to you? Pray specifically today that the Holy Spirit will transform your heart to reflect a godly attitude.
What is one specific action you can do today which will foster unity in your marriage? For example, when you talk to your husband on the phone, even if you’re in the middle of something when he calls, can you respond with patience instead of shortness? Or if he wants to share a dream with you, can you listen with love and gentleness, instead of telling him what an impractical idea it is?
Sometimes it’s not necessarily the words we say, but the way we say them that might create distance in our marriages. Consider your tone of voice and the expression on your face as you talk to your husband.
Power Verses:
1 Corinthians 16:14: “Let all that you do be done in love” (NAS).
Colossians 3:17: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (NAS).
Colossians 3:12-14: “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (NAS).
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G,
Matthews, NC 28105