“The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” That’s John’s version of the Nativity. He doesn’t give us Joseph’s perspective like
Matthew does, or focus on Mary like Luke does, and he doesn’t just skip past
that part altogether like Mark. Instead,
John gives us one sentence. God became
like us. Not for His sake, but for ours,
so that we can not just know, but actually participate in the Christmas story—Christ dwelling among us!
How does Jesus —the eternal, creative,
kind, loving God— make his dwelling among you and your spouse in your marriage
relationship? We decide every day if
we’re going to live as a part of God’s story, or if we are going to try and
write our own story. The problem is,
when we write our own story it’s usually filled with selfishness, animosity,
isolation, deceit, blame, and brokenness.
God’s story, on the other hand—a story written in the person of Jesus
Christ and continually lived in his disciples—is a story of love, forgiveness,
reconciliation, grace, truth, peace, and joy.
Living in God’s story doesn’t always come
easy. It doesn’t usually come
naturally. But when we give up ourselves
for the sake of Christ and for the blessing of our mates, we become a part of
the greatest story ever. We become a
part of the story that began before creation, became like us in every way on
the first Christmas, continues in our marriages today, and will reach into
eternity.
In marriage, every day is Christmas. At least we should be trying our best to make it so.
_____________________
What does God want from my
marriage?
A Weekend
Marriage Enrichment Retreat
Friday-Sunday, March 7-9, 2014
Edgewater at the Aquarium Hotel and Conference Center
Gatlinburg, TN
Gatlinburg, TN
Limited to 30 couples
Email
dfcamp@gmail.com for more info
__________________________________
__________________________________
Looking for a great Christmas gift for someone interested in
creating or working on a powerful marriage ministry? The Marriage-Friendly Church is available now and gives you the questions every church needs to be asking. Available at 21st Century Christian or on Amazon.com