Enjoy and use your God-given differences.
| posted 1/30/2009
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Marriage has a way of revealing sins in yourself and your spouse that you never knew you had. The way to get rid of sin is to confess it and then stop doing it. With confession comes forgiveness. Forgiveness is hard, but love (offered first by God to you and then from you to your spouse) can wipe away those sins as deftly as crumbs swept from the kitchen table.
But this passage doesn't stay focused on sin. It moves quickly to service. God has given you special skills that he didn't give your spouse. He has also given your spouse talents and interests that aren't your own. These differences can lead to competition or a power struggle. But that's not the way to toward spiritual growth. Enjoy your differences; glory in them. Practice saying, "My spouse is good at …." Then use your varied skills to serve others and "that in all things God may be glorified" (4:11). (See also Galatians 6:1-3; Hebrews 5:11-6:3.)
Good Words to Remember:
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10
Today's Challenge:
How can you and your spouse celebrate your differences, rather than letting them drive you apart?
Copyright 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Bible Studies.
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