Pray for Marriages (Loving Intentionally)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

While I missed Friday’s reminder, I hope you still prayed! Family time won, (as it should). Over the years I have struggled with balancing my time set aside for the Lord and those activities that honor Him, and not losing focus on my God-ordained vocation of marriage and family. Satan delights in tempting us to use our strengths in overdrive, which then become our weaknesses and can steal time from what’s truly important. It is a subtle snare.

That’s true in marriage as well, not just family. How often does one work self-inflicted overtime, spend copious amounts of time volunteering for this and that, even church related activities, or work long hours for a great cause, delighting in what they do, only to decimate time with their spouse (and/or children). These can be very good things if mutually agreed upon, but not when they are only to make you feel praised and loved by others, (while your spouse/family feels neglected.) 

Meditate on the following scripture passages, and when you read the word “ love”, add ‘for my spouse/family”.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues  but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Perhaps the question to ask oneself is, “What is the most loving behavioral response for my relationship?”  The challenge is to find moderation. Sometimes one can incorporate their spouse/family into their volunteer/ charitable time. And perhaps there may be times your spouse can help you meet a work deadline that is causing you to work into the evening. Simply put, reflect on what can bring you together rather than separate you more. 

Lord, we need your eyes to help us find the right order within our lives. We need your wisdom to help us make the best decisions within our vocation of marriage and family. We need your heart to love more intentionally. Guide our actions and words, so that we might become a reflection of you in all that we do, honoring your master plan for our lives. Jesus we trust in you! Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Begin each day with a renewed love. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Truly Divine)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The sacrament of marriage is truly divine, as it fuses the man and women in a mystical way, much in the same way that baptism makes us part of the Body of Christ. We are one.

For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ  and individually parts of one another. Romans 12:4-5

Without a doubt, our union with Christ is difficult to comprehend! Have you ever contemplated, “Are my bodily decisions taking into account that I am a member of Christ’s body? Do I glorify God with it? Am I making good decisions, ones that strengthen my union with God as well as my union with my spouse?

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? [ … ] For “the two,” it says, “will become one flesh.” 1 Corinthians 6:15-16

In marriage, we are joined to another human being in such a beautiful, unifying way, yet our actions often betray us as we regress from us to me. Too easily “we” lose sight that our daily “yes”, a yes of self-denial for the good of the other, was what we vowed to do!

A man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” Mark 10:7-9

We clearly need divine help, so let us boldly ask!

Heavenly Father, we truly need your grace to celebrate the “we” on a daily basis and be comfortable with our yes. Pride, selfishness, exhaustion, frustration, and a litany of other things drive us to separate like two magnets, rather than unite like a magnet to steel. Be our strength and teach us to move toward greater submission to one another. We are beautifully flawed humans made magnificent by your effusive graces which beckon us not only to greater marital unity, but to oneness with your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. We are truly blessed!  

A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Psalm 51:12

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Offer  an unexpected kindness to your spouse. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (All God’s Children)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Of the many blessings we have in life, if we are honest with ourselves, most we take for granted. We consider shelter, clothing, housing, and transportation, a given, not a gift. Sometimes it’s not until a real tragedy hits that we realize where the source of all gifts come from: Our Almighty God. 

If we haven’t experienced tragedy, we have at least witnessed it. What we haven’t seen, we often learn about it in the media. (My heart is thinking NC). Nothing, however, is more edifying than seeing friends, neighbors, and strangers rallying to help. And when one isn’t able to assist physically or emotionally, they often can financially. The human spirit is alive and well, animated by the Holy Spirit.

‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds. Hebrews 10:16

This is a faith we have to pray to receive and grow in, and live by. We are all a work in progress. So we begin in prayer that all that we do is for the glory of God, in service to his people.  

Whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him. Philippians 3:7-9

Regardless of our own pain and suffering, let us pray for such a right order of thought, that which St. Paul eventually came to later in his life!  

Loving God, may your children who have been affected directly or indirectly by Hurricane Helene, find comfort in your comforting embrace. May those suffering from tragedies not publicized, also be assisted by your many good samaritans.  Lord, move our hearts too, that we may reach out to others with acts of charity, kindness, empathy, support, and assistance. May we never assume that others will assist those in need, but rather know that it all starts with a yes from us. Help us with our yeses! For when we sow love, the Son makes it  grow and grow, propagating it throughout the world.  Sweet Jesus, we trust in your everlasting love! Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Live the gospel and love will never end! Pass it on!