The Session: Are You Prepared For Marriage?

Maybe you've found "the one".  First, congratulations!  But, are you READY for marriage?  All the feelings may be there.  But after the joy of the wedding, a marriage happens.  In this episode, Tom & Scott talk about how to know if you are really ready for marriage.The Session:  Am I Prepared For Marriage?Psalm 127:1Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (vs. 1). A strong lasting marriage must be based on a relationship with God. (Session will come from Galatians 5:22)But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.We should show the evidence of the Holy Spirit first and foremost in marriage. Am I Walking closely in my relationship with Jesus?· LovePaul begins with love, from the Greek term agapē. This is famously described as "selfless love," or an attitude that considers other people more than ourselves. How am I sowing these in my walk with Jesus?· JoyTrue joy is the response of delight to what God delights in. It requires a person’s heart to be tuned to the right values; specifically· PeaceHaving the peace that comes from the Holy Spirit in me helps me process life in a way that shows peace.· ForbearanceDoes the condition of my heart show patience and attitude of forgiveness? · KindnessKindness is selfless, compassionate, and merciful; its greatest power revealed in practice to our enemies and amongst the least of these. As we see from Psalm 15, the depth of our relationship with God should be reflected by our kindness to others, the control of our tongue and our integrity.Ps. 15O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?  Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart, who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,Who despises the vile but honors those who fear the Lord, who does not revise a costly oath,Who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things will never be shaken. Additional thoughts from Timothy Keller· GoodnessIn the Greek, the word goodness, means “an uprightness of heart and life” (Thayer & Strong, 1995).· FaithfulnessIt is lasting loyalty and trustworthiness in relationships, especially marriage and friendship: A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness to each other.· GentlenessShowing the kind of care and consideration that God in Jesus Christ has shown to us.· Self ControlThe active effort we put forth to resist the attacks of the enemy with God’s help. “Against which there is no law.”   So there is no law against doing these things.  Why?  Because they are the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  There is no law against doing things that represent the character of God.  To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at [email protected], or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com