Five Minute Family – Our Closest Neighbor

TRANSCRIPT: Good morning, Five Minute Families! What five minutes a day are you intentionally investing into your family members to make an impact for the kingdom of God? We hold the power in our hands to make a difference in the lives of our loved ones. Five minutes. Five intentional minutes a day to make an impact that lasts a lifetime. Please join us as we expand on that concept today as we continue to chat about marriage.

In a study conducted by Ed Diener the happiest 10 percent of the participants all had strong supportive relationships. A strong social network didn’t guarantee happiness, but it was a requirement to be in the happiest group. Happy people have strong social relationships. Likewise, in the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index study 73 percent of those who classify themselves as having a high quality of life report having strong support networks.

Who is your strong supporter?  Proverbs 16:20 reminds us, “He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.” God should be our first and preeminent relationship. And, God encourages us to invest in relationships with his many one anothering statements and His establishment of marriage.

We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. And, Five Minute Families, our closest neighbor is always going to be our spouse. We must choose to show love and respect to our spouses every day. While five minutes a day is a good start if you have been distant or you are in an excessively busy season of life (it happens, it’s ok.), but, in marriage, the five minutes we are talking about is the concept of five minutes MORE.

Five minutes more. Five minutes more when he is frustrated with an issue from work. Five minutes more when she is feeling unheard. Five minutes more when he has been disrespected. Five minutes more when she has been left unloved.

You see, we all fail each other. No matter how hard we try, we will fail our spouse, and no matter how hard our spouse tries, he or she will fail us. God’s grace covers a multitude of sins.

How many times have you heard that marriage is 50/50? That is a faulty thought process. The problem is that a gap forms as soon as someone gives less than 50% – a gap that sometimes seems insurmountable. If, however, Christian spouses choose to have a goal of giving 100% of themselves, then, when one gives less than that due to stresses, health issues, or even just fatigue, then there is no gap. The other spouse is covering that area, and since they both have made great strides in effort, the spouse who needs a break for a little while, is able to come back later at 100%.

But, wait, you say. How am I supposed to give 100%? 100% means you are LISTENING when your spouse is SPEAKING. 100% means you try to understand what fascinates your spouse about a subject even if it doesn’t interest you. 100% means you do your role in the marriage to the best of your ability, not being lazy or assuming your spouse will pick up your slack all the time. 100% means studying your spouse for the little things that make him or her smile and then wanting to do those things. And, when you don’t want to give 100%, well, 100% means turning to God again and again and again, knowing He will guide yours actions and show you what to do next.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” God is the third strand – our strength!

Thank you for joining us this morning, and remember, sometimes, you must be willing to give just five minutes MORE. Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

~Originally aired on WECO 95.5 fm/940 am Tues, June 16, 2020~

Sorry, comments are closed for this post.

Five Minute Family – Our Closest Neighbor

TRANSCRIPT: Good morning, Five Minute Families! What five minutes a day are you intentionally investing into your family members to make an impact for the kingdom of God? We hold the power in our hands to make a difference in the lives of our loved ones. Five minutes. Five intentional minutes a day to make an impact that lasts a lifetime. Please join us as we expand on that concept today as we continue to chat about marriage.

In a study conducted by Ed Diener the happiest 10 percent of the participants all had strong supportive relationships. A strong social network didn’t guarantee happiness, but it was a requirement to be in the happiest group. Happy people have strong social relationships. Likewise, in the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index study 73 percent of those who classify themselves as having a high quality of life report having strong support networks.

Who is your strong supporter?  Proverbs 16:20 reminds us, “He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.” God should be our first and preeminent relationship. And, God encourages us to invest in relationships with his many one anothering statements and His establishment of marriage.

We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. And, Five Minute Families, our closest neighbor is always going to be our spouse. We must choose to show love and respect to our spouses every day. While five minutes a day is a good start if you have been distant or you are in an excessively busy season of life (it happens, it’s ok.), but, in marriage, the five minutes we are talking about is the concept of five minutes MORE.

Five minutes more. Five minutes more when he is frustrated with an issue from work. Five minutes more when she is feeling unheard. Five minutes more when he has been disrespected. Five minutes more when she has been left unloved.

You see, we all fail each other. No matter how hard we try, we will fail our spouse, and no matter how hard our spouse tries, he or she will fail us. God’s grace covers a multitude of sins.

How many times have you heard that marriage is 50/50? That is a faulty thought process. The problem is that a gap forms as soon as someone gives less than 50% – a gap that sometimes seems insurmountable. If, however, Christian spouses choose to have a goal of giving 100% of themselves, then, when one gives less than that due to stresses, health issues, or even just fatigue, then there is no gap. The other spouse is covering that area, and since they both have made great strides in effort, the spouse who needs a break for a little while, is able to come back later at 100%.

But, wait, you say. How am I supposed to give 100%? 100% means you are LISTENING when your spouse is SPEAKING. 100% means you try to understand what fascinates your spouse about a subject even if it doesn’t interest you. 100% means you do your role in the marriage to the best of your ability, not being lazy or assuming your spouse will pick up your slack all the time. 100% means studying your spouse for the little things that make him or her smile and then wanting to do those things. And, when you don’t want to give 100%, well, 100% means turning to God again and again and again, knowing He will guide yours actions and show you what to do next.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” God is the third strand – our strength!

Thank you for joining us this morning, and remember, sometimes, you must be willing to give just five minutes MORE. Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

~Originally aired on WECO 95.5 fm/940 am Tues, June 16, 2020~

Sorry, comments are closed for this post.

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