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Key Bible Verse: We should please others. … For even Christ didn't please himself (Romans 15:2–3). Bonus Reading: Romans 15:1–4

In my premarriage class, each student listed his or her top three goals, then compared them with the fiancé. Rick and Kelley's were—Rick: 1. To make God the center of our home; 2. To establish a strong career; 3. To save for a down payment for a house. Kelley: 1. To let God rule our marriage; 2. To make family our priority; 3. To build communication together.

What does it mean for Rick to love Kelley as himself? It means Kelley's second goal has to be as important to him as his second goal. Kelley's third goal must receive as much time and attention as his third goal. That's how oneness looks in practice.

I checked up on them a few years later. By now, they had a two-year-old daughter named Clare, and the number-two child was on the way. Rick had been so successful on his second goal that he'd been hired away to a large company in another state. In his previous job, Rick came home between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Now he stretched it to 6:30 or 7. Rick saw nothing wrong with this because it aligned with his second goal. Kelley, however, began complaining that he wasn't making the family a priority. [continued 10/1]

—Fred Stoeker in Every Woman's Desire

My Response: Here's how I'll get a handle on what my wife's goals are:

Thought to Apply: In a successful marriage, there's no such thing as one's way. There's only the bumpy, dusty, difficult, but always mutual path. —Phyllis McGinley

Adapted from Every Woman's Desire (WaterBrook, 2001) by permission

Prayer for the Week

O Christ, help me model the way I relate to my wife after Your sacrificial love for the Church.

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