PROVERBS 18:22

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord.

TO PONDER

Anyone who has been married for a while will recognise the truth in the above statement. Hopefully it cuts both ways and finding a husband is also finding something good and equates to receiving favour from the Lord. I can only speak to the first side of that statement but certainly want to affirm it.

However, anyone who has been married for a while, will probably also tell you that it might not always feel like it is true. Those who are closest to us are often those who hurt us and frustrate us the most.

I love the book of proverbs because I find it to be wonderfully balanced in its assessment of the human condition. Today we hear how wonderful a blessing it is to have a wife/husband. Yet look at Proverbs 21:9 and we are also told, "it is better to live on the corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife". I'm sure that one cuts both ways too.

It's just a good reminder to all of us that our role as a partner to our spouses is to be a blessing to them, not to nag them or frustrate them. Showing love and respect to our partners and blessing them even when they frustrate us is still one of the best ways to show the love of Jesus and have it transform whatever is dysfunctional in our relationships. However, if that fails, at least you'll be sleeping on the roof of a house with a firm foundation built on Christ the solid rock!!!

PRAYER: Thank you God for your wisdom and for helping us to navigate the complexity, joys, and pain of human relationships and marriages. Help us to bear with one another in love and to be a blessing to those you have given us to love. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle