A Heart Filled By God's Love

Last night I attended a Titus 2 bible study through my sisters' church. The idea of the study is based on the verse found in Titus 2:3-5 which states, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored."

It was a small group so we were able to have a good discussion and cover many topics. Several things that were said stuck with me and I'll mull them over more as I review my notes.

One woman was sharing that she has found that when she maintains her focus on God, she doesn't have time to look at or worry about the shortcomings of her husband. She went on to say that this life is really not about us. Its not about me, and I love to be reminded of that (somedays an hourly reminder of that would be helpful!).

Then today, I came across this and it just reiterated what I heard last night and know to be true:

Personal worship is an absolute necessity for a strong marriage. It comes down to this: If I stop receiving from God, I start demanding from others. Instead of appreciating and loving and serving others, I become disappointed in them. Instead of cherishing my wife, I become aware of her shortcomings. I take out my frustrations with a less-than-perfect life and somehow blame her for my lack of fulfillment.

But when my heart gets filled by God's love and acceptance, I'm set free to love instead of worrying about being loved. I'm motivated to serve instead of becoming obsessed about whether I'm being served. I'm moved to cherish instead of feeling unappreciated.
(Devotions for a Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. From "A Soul Filled with God" on p. 9)