Marriage

Learn Your Love Language
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Learn Your Love Language
Learn Your Love Language 1920 1080 cheryl

As Valentines Day approaches, see the day as a reminder of how to best love your spouse throughout the year rather than just celebrating them for one day. Need help with that? Take this love language quiz based off of the wonderful book by Gary Chapman “The Five Love Languages” with your spouse. Most couples don’t receive love in the same way, so learn how to successfully “speak love” to your husband or wife! As Gary says in his book “love is a choice you make everyday”.

Take the test here!

Upcoming Events:

  • February 14th: We will be speaking at the District Church in Eldorado Hills, CA
  • February 20th: We will be speaking at First Baptist Church Sachse in Sachse, TX
Sacrifice and Presence
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Sacrifice and Presence
Sacrifice and Presence 1920 1080 cheryl

Bob Goff says it best in his book “Love Does” when he states that “the kind of love God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence. It’s a love that operates more like a sign language than being spoken outright.”

That last sentence exemplifies the title of the book in that love is truly proven by action rather than words. We can tell people we love them all of the time, but it is truly shown to a person when something is done for them in love. We have no greater example of this than God Himself. We see God the Father give His only Son for each and every one of us, in order that those who call upon His name may know Him and fully experience the depth of His love. Only through accepting Christ as our Savior can we fully comprehend what true love is, and then give true love to others. Beautiful, passionate, humble, meaningful, selfless love.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:9-11

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Great word on Wed’s Word by Paul David Tripp on what it means to Obey!
Great word on Wed’s Word by Paul David Tripp on what it means to Obey! 1920 1080 cheryl

paul_seated_300OBEY

There’s simply nothing you can do to gain God’s favor.

You have to accept this and remember it: you will never be righteous enough for long enough to satisfy God’s holy requirements.

Your thoughts will never be pure enough. Your desires will never be holy enough. Your words will never be clean enough. Your choices and actions will never be honoring enough. The bar is simply set too high for us to ever reach.

We all live under the same weight of the law, crippled by the inability of sin. We’re better at rebelling than submitting, more inclined to arrogance than humility, more skilled at making war with our neighbors than loving them. We leave a trail of evidence every hour that we’ve fallen short of the glory of God one more time.

So what’s the point of obedience in the Christian life? Well, this hard-to-swallow pill of bad news is actually the doorway to eternal hope and joy, not depressive self-loathing. How? It’s only when you accept who you are and what you’re unable to do that you begin to understand and celebrate the necessity of God’s gift of grace.

Let’s put the bad news and the good news together. The Apostle Paul writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but that’s only half of the story. He continues, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:23-25, ESV)

A propitiation is an atoning sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus appeased the wrath of God and created a reconciliation between God and all who place their faith in him. In more simple words: you don’t need to obey to gain God’s favor.

Don’t misunderstand me: grace doesn’t make obedience optional. Obedience is the life-long calling for followers of Christ. But, your obedience is never a fearful payment. It’s a hymn of gratitude to the God who met you where you were and did for you what you could not have done for yourself.

Your obedience doesn’t purchase God’s love for you; Christ’s blood is the only purchase that could do that. Rather, your obedience is a thankful expression that you understand the significance of God’s love being placed on you.

So today, humbly admit that you’re more messed up than you think you are. And commit once more to a lifestyle of obedience, not because Jesus needs you to, but because you understand how much you need Jesus.

God bless

Paul David Tripp

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

How have you fallen short of the glory of God already?

What motivated your obedience yesterday?

How will you remind yourself to obey for the right reasons today?
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This week: Matt Chandler, Paul David Tripp, Interview with Jeff & Cheryl at Hope Fellowship, Frisco Texas Oct 5, 2014
This week: Matt Chandler, Paul David Tripp, Interview with Jeff & Cheryl at Hope Fellowship, Frisco Texas Oct 5, 2014 150 150 cheryl

Matt Chandler, Lead Teaching Pastor at The Village Church started a series a few weeks back called “A Beautiful Design”. We have been, once again challenged to the core and challenge you to listen to the entire series. This week is the first of the series: “In The Beginning” (Part 1). Paul David Tripp, one of our favorite speakers, writers and teachers, and founder of Paul Tripp Ministries, challenges us this week from his Wednesday Word called “Dehydration”! Jeff & Cheryl Scruggs were interviewed last weekend, Oct 5th, 2014, at Hope Fellowship Church in Frisco, Texas. Join them as they share their heart.

Listen to Matt Chandler

“A Beautiful Design” (Part 1)

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/105654882[/vimeo]

 

paul_seated_300Paul David Tripp

 

Wednesday’s Word

DEHYDRATED

There are some verses that I wish weren’t on the pages of my Bible. I do believe that all Scripture is breathed out by God, inerrant and sufficient, but that doesn’t mean I can’t wrestle with some of the words that are written.

Take Psalm 42, for instance. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1-2)

I wish those two sentences weren’t in the Bible. Why? Because the Lord authored those verses knowing in advance that his children would experience spiritual dehydration.

I wish that I was never parched. I wish that when I met Christ, my soul would overflow with passion and energy forever. After all, Jesus said “whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never be thirsty again” (John 4:14). So why do I experience periods in my life of faith when I feel dehydrated?

If you’ve been a Christian for longer than a week, you should know that your experience is filled with bumps and bruises. In some cases, you’ll feel as if you have nothing left. That’s what Psalm 42 depicts: a deer desperate for a drink of water, even from a muddy puddle, because it can?t continue without refreshment.

Have you ever been there in your walk with God – lost, dehydrated, and wanting to give up? There are many things I could say about spiritual dehydration, but I?ll only give you two main points for this week.

First, your conversion provides no guarantee of the absence of spiritual dehydration. In fact, the Bible almost assures that your life will be filled with suffering. Some of the earliest disciples needed their soul strengthened and encouraged because they were facing many tribulations (Acts 14:22).

Second, Jesus experienced dehydration just like you. Jesus’ words of “I thirst” (John 19:28) are popular, but perhaps one of the most transparent moments of his earthly ministry came when he said, ?My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.? (Matthew 26:39)

There was a time when even Christ didn?t want to take one more step. But as the God-Man, he did what you and I couldn?t do: he continued on his own strength. Christ took all the steps necessary to Calvary so that when you and I have nothing left, we can rely on him for our strength.

If you?re experiencing spiritual dehydration, don?t be surprised – it?s part of the Christian life. And when you do experience debilitating spiritual weakness, rely on your Savior, who took the steps for you. His power is made perfect in your weakness.

In the following weeks, I’ll say more about this subject.

God bless

Paul David Tripp

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

What are some other verses that you wish weren’t included in the Bible?

Why does God weave verses of difficulty, suffering, and pain into The Good News?

In what ways are you – or have you been – spiritually dehydrated?

What should we do in the midst of spiritual dehydration? (NOTE: more on this in the following weeks)

How can you minister to others in the midst of their spiritual dehydration?
Be sure to add “wednesdaysword@paultrippministries.org” to your address book.
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Jeff & Cheryl Scruggs

Watch from Hope Fellowship Church, Frisco, Texas

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/108022032[/vimeo]

 

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Jeff & Cheryl – Our story, with FBC West Monroe, LA
Jeff & Cheryl – Our story, with FBC West Monroe, LA cheryl

Listen to Jeff and Cheryl?s story about their marriage, their divorce, and the amazing story of God bringing it back full circle. Read about their story in their book I Do Again.
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The Truth about Divorce, Part 2 (Mark 10: 1-12) by John MacArthur
The Truth about Divorce, Part 2 (Mark 10: 1-12) by John MacArthur 150 150 cheryl

John MacArthur preaches boldly about the truth about divorce out of Mark 10: 1-12.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDooLeRwiQE

 

 

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Guarding Your Heart in Your Marriage (6th of 6 articles)
Guarding Your Heart in Your Marriage (6th of 6 articles) 150 150 cheryl

6th Article in Series:

Our God of Second Chances

Our God of Second Chances

Jesus must be the focal point in marriage, not your spouse. Much of the time, without being aware of it, we end up idolizing our spouse, and making them our God, instead of allowing God to be our God.

A godly marriage is one of deep abundance, peace and joy. This does not mean it is?free from tough issues or without problems, as there is no such thing as a perfect marriage.

Jesus must be the focal point in marriage, not your spouse. Much of the time, without being aware of it, we end up idolizing our spouse and making them our God, instead of allowing God to be our God.

How do we make Jesus the focal point? We begin with recognizing that marriage was God’s idea. He had?the plan for it. We often act like?marriage is only?about our happiness, but marriage is designed to glorify God.

In the New Testament, Ephesians 5: 21- 31 gives us direction and guidance on how to submit to Christ and one another. It explains how husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the church and love them like they love their own bodies. It also addresses how a man should leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, thus the two be united into one unit. Lastly, this passage talks about how a wife must respect her husband.

This is a tall order for all of us! What stands out is that, ultimately, we are each to submit to Christ out of obedience, submit to each other, and pray to have a servant’s heart in our marriage.

Trouble is, our culture lacks an accurate concept of what serving means. Husbands, how is God calling you to serve your wife in Ephesians 5? It points out that men are to love their wives like Christ loved the church. Was Christ not the greatest servant of all? He is our protector, our provider, our covering. Men, He is your example! Jesus shows us how to serve.

Jeff and I?often share with couples this analogy: What kind of marriage do you think you would have if the two of you were competing to “out-serve” each other?

During?our first marriage, Jeff and I had no idea how to serve one another. We fought infrequently?and were polite to each other,?but there was?no real attempt to understand true servanthood. We both ended up selfish and self-focused, each waiting on the other to come to our service.

Yet God gave us a second chance! This time our marriage is different. We now wholeheartedly seek to learn?how to better?love God and each other. We made so many mistakes in our first marriage, but now have the opportunity to do it His way. Even after 10 years back together, we?remain so very?grateful for the opportunity. Our goal is to live out Galatians 5:16-25 (ESV):

But I say, walk by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is not law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

So?how can we serve each other practically?in the different aspects of a relationship: spiritually, physically and emotionally?

Scripture calls us to serve each other spiritually by learning and following what it means to take on the character traits of Jesus and living these out. We also serve each other spiritually by being obedient to God and seeking His ways through His Word.

Scripture?calls us to serve each other physically by being gentle, kind, patient?and displaying self-control. The Bible also calls us to serve each other sexually: “Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7:5).

Finally, God calls us to serve each other emotionally through a?loving nature, by pursuing peace in the marriage, and by being joyful in our relationship. 2 Corinthians 2:3 (ESV) gives us a great example of how our joy can benefit others: “Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful”.

God is trying to teach you many things through your marriage. He desires to mold and shape you into what he wants you be.?Our?focus in marriage, this time around, is on serving God and each other, rather than focusing on ourselves.

? 2010 Cheryl Scruggs. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
This Momentary Marriage by John Piper 150 150 cheryl

Read on John Piper’s website, desiringgod.org

this article on:

“This Momentary Marriage”, A Parable of Permanence

This Momentary Marriage

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Men/ husbands/ boyfriends? Are you ready to be dared by Mark Driscoll
Men/ husbands/ boyfriends? Are you ready to be dared by Mark Driscoll 150 150 cheryl

Several years ago, Mark Driscoll, preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. preached a sermon to men called Marriage & Men. It is by far one of the best sermons we have ever heard. Listen to the excerpt or full sermon:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkaeAkJO0w8[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYBovk6MBEg&feature=related[/youtube]

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“What Did You Expect?”:Faulty Expectations about Marriage – Dr. Paul Tripp
“What Did You Expect?”:Faulty Expectations about Marriage – Dr. Paul Tripp 150 150 cheryl

Paul David Tripp looks at marriage from the heart level,? just as God does. Check out his book, “What Did You Expect”, and watch this video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VbEes6hKig&NR=1[/youtube]

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Jeff & Cheryl Scruggs