1. Marriage Devotional: Spiritual Headship

Marriage Devotional: Spiritual Headship

Author: H. Norman Wright

Husbands, love your wives Just as Christ loved the church and 

gave Himself up for her to make her holy (Ephesians 5:25,26).

    By being the spiritual leader in the home, a husband indicates his concern for his wife‵s spiritual welfare and continual growth. Once again the pattern of Jesus must be considered. He died to take away the sin of each person in the world. He loved the church and gave Himself for it. This model of Christ’s love for the church reaches down into the life of every husband. A husband and father doesn‵t save his family. Only Christ does that. But God holds every husband accountable for the spiritual welfare and atmosphere of the home. The many ingredients and responsibilities of the husband include

• a personal prayer life;
• interaction, reading, and understanding of the Scriptures;
• participation in the local church worship service;
• modeling the proper use of time for his family;
• encouraging his wife to grow in the Scriptures and become involved with other women, taking time out for Bible study groups or weekend conferences that may help her develop spiritual leadership. This also entails providing the funds for this to occur, along with a willing attitude to care for the kids for an entire weekend while she attends the meetings! This is real sacrifice!
• developing spiritual intimacy with his wife. This is a major responsibility, and it means reading the Word together, sharing meaningful spiritual thoughts and experiences, praying together, and letting his wife know that he is praying for her.

    This is spiritual leadership. And the blessings benefit both of you. No one said it was easy, but it is worth your time and effort. Let God guide you in this.

2. Parenting Devotional: Good Parenting

Parenting Devotional: Good Parenting

Author: H. Norman Wright

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent] and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6, AMP).

    There are so many books about parenting. We hear about permissive, restrictive, neglectful, and authoritarian styles. Which is best? What are parents to do? Here are some answers from Jack and Judith Balswick:

    While some parenting styles encourage growth and are empowering, others hinder or block growth either by fostering dependency or by expecting self-reliance prematurely.

    Early attempts to understand parenting styles made a distinction between permissive versus restrictive parenting. Proponents of the permissive style, while not rejecting the need for discipline, stressed that a child‵s greatest need is for warmth and security. Those holding to the restrictive style, while not rejecting parental affection, emphasized that a child‵s greatest need is for discipline, responsibility and self-control.

    In hundreds of studies done on parenting styles over the last thirty years, two factors—parental control and parental support—have emerged as the most important elements in good parenting. The term parental control means that you, as a parent, actively provide guidelines, set limits, direct and redirect your child‵s behavior in some desired direction. The term parental support refers to the affirmation, encouragement, and general support that you give to assure your children that they are accepted and cared for.

    Some parents are great at teaching right behavior but not so good at following through in their own lives. In effect they tell their children, "Do as I say not as I do." Children will understandably feel resentful when parents fail to live by the standards they preach. Children recognize the incongruence and may be disrespectful or rebellious when parents make demands.

    On the other hand, parents who model right behavior but never provide explanations and good reasons for the values and beliefs they hold are also lacking appropriate skills. It is important that parents guide, equip, and empower their children by taking time to give the whys of the behavior they expect from them. It’s balance we‵re looking for, perhaps best described as a disciplining role.

    What type of parent are you?

4. Marriage Devotional: The Fullness in Christ

Marriage Devotional: The Fullness in Christ

Author: H. Norman Wright

My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19, NASB).

    Some businesses today operate from a deficit position rather than a surplus. Some individuals and some marriages operate the same way. These people feel empty, isolated, lonely, inadequate, and helpless. Many people go through life with important needs unmet. Some go through marriage

in the same way.

    Aside from your physical needs, do you know what your basic needs are? You need: security; love and belonging (being wanted, cared about, listened to, accepted, understood); self-esteem (receiving attention, respect, significance, value); and fulfillment of your potential of giftedness.

    You and your spouse probably look to each other to meet some of these needs, and rightly so. But your partner cannot meet all your needs. God is the only one who can. He is the primary source for meeting your physical needs for food and shelter (Matthew 6:26,27). He meets your need for security and love (Romans 5:8; 8:35,38,39). God meets your need for significance or purpose (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 1:21).

    The more you believe these verses, the more you will be able to fulfill your potential and giftedness. In reality, you don‵t ever have to operate from a deficit. Because of what God has done for you and said about you, you can respond to yourself, your partner, others, and to life itself out of a sense of fullness. You are not deficient when you know Christ. Neither is your partner. Experience His resources. Use them. Enjoy them. Express your fullness to your partner and to the world!

3. Devotional: Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Author: H. Norman Wright

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, Praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).

    Praise the Lord! Have you ever said that out loud? Praise is not only a response to God but a step in seeing change happen in your life. When you praise God for what He has done, for who He is, and for what He will do in your life, you are released to be more dependent upon Him and less dependent on yourself.

    It's easy to praise God for what He has done because you can reflect back and identify something tangible. But what about the future? How difficult is it for you to praise God for what He is going to do? Such praise opens your life to some possibilities you may never have considered. By praising God, you not only become a risk-taker, but you become more aware of what He wants for you. This may be an uncomfortable idea for you. It may mean that you learn to praise God in an unpleasant job situation or during times of financial difficulty. It may mean praising God in spite of that taxing personal relationship in your marriage or family life. Perhaps you are troubled and perplexed about some situation in your life. This is exactly the time God wants you to praise Him.

    Lloyd John Ogilvie has an interesting thought along this line: "Consistent praise over a period of time conditions us to receive what the Lord has been waiting patiently to reveal to us or release for us." Praising God is a response to His love, His goodness, His faithfulness, and His unbelievable concern for each one of us. When you praise God, you recognize His sovereignty. When you praise God, you transfer from trusting yourself to trusting Him.

    What have you praised God for today? Take a few moments to reflect upon several things you have praised God for in the past and what you can praise Him for in the future. Share your praises with each other and then praise Him together.