Daily Reading - "A Married Man...Has To." 1 Corinthians 7:33 NLT

So here is how it read today...

Wed. March 25
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"A MARRIED MAN...HAS TO." (1 CORINTHIANS 7:33 NLT)
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Serving God - and your mate!

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Paul writes: "An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please him. But a married man can't do that so well. He has to think about...how to please his wife." Gayle Urban tells of browsing in a bookstore and discovering a shelf with reduced-price items. Among the gifts was a little figurine with a man and woman, their heads lovingly tilted toward one another. "Happy Anniversary," read the inscription. It appeared to be in perfect condition yet its tag indicated "damaged." Examining it more closely, she found another tag underneath that read, "WIFE IS COMING UNGLUED!"

.........When you marry somebody, you marry everything they are and everything they have been through. It's a package deal! And if you ask God, He'll give you the grace to minister to your mate. You may not see immediate change. It takes time for even a small cut to heal. But if you allow Him, God will give you the oil of compassion and the wine of love to pour into their wounds. Never become so spiritual that you become unavailable. Your first calling is to your mate and your family. Your priorities should start there, then spread to your career, your vocation and other pursuits. Paul says, in effect, "I release those who are married from the level of consecration I expect from those who are single, so that they'll be able to spend time working on their relationship." You says, "But I need to spend time with the Lord." That's true, and the Bible doesn't release you from your responsibility to God, it just sets some priorities. You're called to serve the Lord - and your mate!