*DAILY DEW 23/FEBRUARY/2023* *THE STUFF OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE* (VI) _Key Bible Text:_ *"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."* (Ephesians 5:25, 28 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ 7. Don't just fall in love. Stay in love. It is easier to fall in love than to stay in love. Everyone falls in love, or something that looks like that. But to stay in love with one partner for years till death is the real deal! To stay in love, you must decide or choose to love daily. I look at my wife as she sleeps sometimes, and can't help but remind myself how much I love her and want to keep loving her. To fall in love can be the work of hormones and emotions but to stay loving is the work of a decision born in a heart that understands commitment. The love that is most true and real is the love that has almost "seen you finish", but still never gets over you. That love, is not hanging on because of perfection or false idea of perfection but because of commitment and genuineness. This is why the great talks about compatibility or incompatibility is nothing but a show of poor understanding of commitment and poor understanding of how love is supposed to work. The love that builds a home and marriage that stands the test of time and remains true in every season, is one that is rooted in the love of Christ. Such love must take after the Christ kind of commitment. Always true, always abiding and ever loving. This is the love that wins. Not the love that only waits till someone else takes the initiative nor the love that does not remain hopeful in the face of stormy waters or delayed troubles or unexpected challenges. Rather, the love that wins is the love that keeps striving to obey God and maintain the God kind of love standard. _MEDITATION:_ *"The Love that wins is the God kind of love. It is beyond emotions and natural feelings. It is about yielding to the prompts of the Holy Spirit, always."* *#David_Joshua_Egbochuo* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#Wedding_Anniversary_Series* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_FEBRUARY,2023* ❤ Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you...

*DAILY DEW 22/FEBRUARY/2023* *THE STUFF OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE* (V) _Key Bible Text:_ *"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil."* (Ephesians 4:26-27 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ 6. Anger Management. Don't let your anger get the best of you. Let your anger be a short visitor no matter what. If it must show up, be angry but sin not. Don't let the things you do when angry, redefine your identity or put a dent on your good name. Don't let your good or great relationship collapse in a short moment of anger. Don't let your anger be like a monster you don't have control over. Many have destroyed their great marriage due to unrestrained expression of anger. To be angry is one thing but how you express that anger is another thing. Managing anger is actually managing the expression of anger. You can get angry if you must, but don't let anger get the better part of you. You easily sin when anger get the better part of you. Also be able to show anger the door. Tell it, when enough is enough. Push the matter out of the front porch of your heart. Let God's peace & joy take over you. Stop letting your mind rehearse the events or words that provoked the anger in the first place. Put them behind you. Sometimes, I just have to let the words my wife said in a state of anger, go away to get a handle on myself. Women have verbal power. A man who must make his home a piece of heaven must learn to let go of such unguarded words. This is also vice versa. Michel de Montaigne Famous quote comes to mind: "A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband." This is apposite to this point. _MEDITATION:_ *"And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.l."* (Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT)) *#David_Joshua_Egbochuo* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#Wedding_Anniversary_Series* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_FEBRUARY,2023* ❤ Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you...

*DAILY DEW 21/FEBRUARY/2023* *THE STUFF OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE* (IV) _Key Bible Text:_ *"Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth."* (Ecclesiastes 9:9 (CEV)) _Bible Insight:_ 4. Kindness & Friendliness In the routines of daily living and trying to keep up with the pace of life's expectations, in the repetition of living with the same partner everyday, and in the familiarity of knowing a whole lot about one's partner, one can easily fall into the slippery slope of taking one's spouse for granted. In that state of taking each other for granted we stop taking time to be kind to each other and friendly. Kindness and friendliness must be intentionally cultivated. Kindness is to be continuously maintained through the good days and the bad days. It is an art. And a lifestyle to build in the home front. People tend to be kind to outsiders while being unkind to their own family. That you are displeased does not mean you must be harsh. Be kind. That you are angry does not mean you must display madness, be kind. Don't go to bed with anger pangs, without even allowing your husband or wife to touch you, just because you are angry. Kindness actually means keeping the anger or offence aside, and still doing what is expected of you kindly. Exchange greetings kindly. Don't throw up a frowning face, and answering questions with one line answers, and living like co-tenants under the same roof like angry hostel room mates. Remain friendly to your spouse. And let that friendship consciously get better and better by the day. Beyond the age, beyond the background, beyond the peculiarities, build a strong friendship. Let your spouse become your best friend. You must not marry your best friend but once you marry, let your spouse become your best friend. And it is your duty to continuously work on becoming a better friend to your spouse. A husband has a role to play no doubt but don't be so husband conscious that all you are to your wife is a husband and a father to your children. No! Be more than just a husband or father. Be a friend. A good jolly friend that you spouse cannot do without. A wife has an important role to play and no doubt can be just a great wife. But beyond being a great wife, become a great friend too. Don't always approach issues as a wife simplicita, let your husband find in you a friend he wants and longs to hang out with. Be a great friend to your spouse, his very best friend. _MEDITATION:_ *"Live happily with the (wo)man you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife/husband God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil."* (Ecclesiastes 9:9 (NLT)) *#David_Joshua_Egbochuo* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#Wedding_Anniversary_Series* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_FEBRUARY,2023* ❤ Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you...

*DAILY DEW 20/FEBRUARY/2023* *THE STUFF OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE* (III) _Key Bible Text:_ *"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, AND SHALL CLEAVE UNTO HIS WIFE: AND THEY SHALL BE ONE FLESH. And They Were Both Naked, The Man And His Wife, And Were Not Ashamed."* (Genesis 2:24-25 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ 4. Leave and cleave. To leave is to the husband while to cleave is to the wife. Actually both husband and wife must leave. And both must cleave. The husband no doubt takes the lead by leaving his former nuclear family. But the moment he cleaves to his wife, the wife too must leave her former nuclear family. So both leaves, and both cleaves. This practically should mean, considering your new home and spouse a new family and a priority. Your allegiance now lies with and to God and your spouse. All other family members, from both sides, have become third parties. So issues between you and your spouse must be treated within you and your spouse and God. No more uninvited third parties into your affairs. Even the times when third parties should be involved must be mutually agreed upon. Actually, from the moment you set your ship to sail, and the home and marriage is formed, choose a particular party, who can stand like a go to party when issues need to be escalated. That is to say, after all internal remedies have been explored and exhausted, then, take "leave" and take the matter to such pre-agreed third party. It is good to ensure that such third party is not a family member from either side of the spouse. It is better a non-family but a respected, spiritually mature and unbiased umpire and family mentor. It is not ideal that a spouse should still be reporting a matter to the other spouse's parents. Such practice is usually unhealthy and hardly helps issues, except for very few exception. Better to maintain a particular pre-arranged or pre-agreed third party who you mutually submit to, outside of the family members. Of course, telling your friends about your internal wranglings and issues should be avoided. Third parties do more harm than good. Thread with caution, and preserve the entity of your family and home. _MEDITATION:_ *"Issues of domestic violence and abuse, should be a well considered exception to the above rule of no third party to internal family affairs. However, the issue must be handled with care, maturity and wisdom"* *#David_Joshua_Egbochuo* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#Wedding_Anniversary_Series* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_FEBRUARY,2023* ❤ Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you...

*DAILY DEW 19/FEBRUARY/2023* *THE STUFF OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE* (II) _Key Bible Text:_ *"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. AND THEY WERE BOTH NAKED, THE MAN AND HIS WIFE, AND WERE NOT ASHAMED."* (Genesis 2:24-25 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ 2. Openness and oneness. Make openness easy. Be transparent. Don't wait to be asked, "what is that?" Or "who was that?" Even when the question comes, don't be like "why are you asking?" Drop such attitude. Instead, expect those questions that help you open up and never treat such questions with an unwelcoming attitude or approach. Take every opportunity to build openness and oneness. Give your spouse room to know all there is to know about you and don't create unnecessary thoughts of "who knows what he is going about now" or "who knows what she is going about now". Build oneness consciously. Arguments of having or not having one's password and access to each other's phones should not even be a matter. Issues of not knowing what each other is earning should not be a challenge at all. The temptation is to try to keep somethings back. Fight off that temptation and live an open policy. PS: This helps a lot in the unexpected event that one goes to be with God before the other. The openness comes in like a big relief because the surviving partner will not be struggling too hard to fish out all the properties or belonging of the late spouse. 3. Patience. Patience is and will forever be key to any marriage. Patience between and towards the spouses. Patience towards challenges and trying times. Patience towards learning or unlearning what needs to be learned. Patience towards what you don't like about each other. Patience towards growing in the things of God. Patience cannot be over emphasized. _MEDITATION:_ *"Our patience will achieve more than our force.”* -- Edmund Burke *#David_Joshua_Egbochuo* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#Wedding_Anniversary_Series* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_FEBRUARY,2023* ❤ Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you...