The Essence.......... of Marriage......!

Have you ever heard the phrases "men need respect", and "women need love"? 

It wasn't until I was 'being disposed of ' by my former wife, that these words jumped out at me as I was reading scripture - and how true they are!

We are all wired so differently - men and women, young and old, with different likes and dislikes, different desires and different motivations. 

How could we best motivate and encourage each other if we knew what made the other person tick?
What motivates one person, is different than what motivates the other half. 

His love languages are different than hers'..... 

In business & other 'relationships'...., the same is true! 

Some may be motivated by challenge, others, serving others. 

Still, some are motivated by "getting it right", and still others are motivated by the fun of it all. But, at the end of the day, we do have two things in common - we need to feel loved, and we need to feel respected for what we bring to the table.

"However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." -Ephesians 5:33 

The picture of marriage and how we are to treat one another in the New Testament is quite different from some of the cultural expectations we've had about relationships..... 

Our culture says, "Serve me!" 

.........when we are called to serve. (Matt 20:28) 

Some believe wrongly marriage is to "be served" when Christ said, "lay down your life for your bride." (Eph 5:25) 

We think all our problems will end when someone comes into our lives to fix them for us.... Instead, it reveals our greatest inadequacies in being more like Christ, but the best way we can grow into becoming more like Him. 

In all our relationships, love and respect are key. 

How can I love and respect those I serve today........?

Shalom