For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35 KJV)
Let’s Get Ready To Rumble!”
Round One: Finances
You and your wife enter the boxing ring regarding your monthly budget. You grab your gloves and she grabs hers. First punch comes from you, the husband. You say to your wife, “You are spending to much money! The things you buy are unnecessary. You’re always shopping! YOU need to scale back. That’s why we are short this month!” Pow! Every word spoken knocks down your wife. She retreats to her corner condemned by all the blaming and accusations. Now, the budget is finished in silence as she cries over the lined paper with the pin in her hand.
Round Two: The House
Now fired up by her supportive (gossiping) girlfriends she’s ready for round two. Putting on her gloves, she begins to attack. ” You never clean up, you’re so messy!” Watching television the husband sighs, and shrugs his shoulders. She goes on, ” there are repairs that need to be done and you never get to them. This house is to small for our growing family and you need to do something about it” TKO! She right jabs the husband right after work and he’s down. Feeling emasculated, he crawls into the cave inside his heart, somewhat ashamed.
Round Three: Intimacy
It’s bedtime and your wife is in the bathroom preparing for sleep. You, the husband, sit up in the bed with anticipation of intimacy. However, your wife comes out the bathroom with a facemask on and clothed from head to toe. All of the sparks that were going off in your mind are now blown out. She does not look remotely interested in sex with you. So, you pull your gloves from under the bed and take the first hit. You get out of the bed and go to your office and pull up porn. TKO! You’ve violated your marriage and stepped out to be fulfilled intimately. She is being hit without evening knowing! This round goes to you! You took care of yourself, instead of communicating your needs with your wife.
Time out: Recap
Your wife, the person you fell in love with, is now in a boxing ring with you. You started off honoring and treating your wife with so much love and compassion. She once respected your very presence. Now, she guards herself when she sees you coming. What happened to the trust and communication? Could it be that you turned your home into a premiere pay per view boxing match?
The Bible says, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25, NIV)
Husbands, we have to bring our families back together. We cannot continue to fight our wives. God didn’t design marriage to be a boxing match. God created women to help us not hinder us. In Genesis 2:18,
“The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” What made us put on gloves to fight the one God designed to help us? The answer is, the devil! In 1 Peter 5:8, it says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” Husbands, we have to get out the ring with our wives and get in the ring with the devil! Let’s kick him out of our house! Let’s hang up the gloves in our marriage, men, and fight the real enemy.
Round Four: A New Opponent
You, the husband, wake up early in the morning or right before bed at night and pray over your wife and family. Pow! The enemy gets hit with a right hook. You then go to your computer and delete all of your porn accounts and get accountability to stay off those XXX sites. Pow, Pow! A left hook and an upper cut to the enemy! He falls. But he get’s back up and tempts you with pride and lust. You block, with the word of God. Roman 8: 37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” You go to the store and grab your wife some flowers and chocolates and take them to her. You write her a love letter telling how much you love her and appreciate all that she does. TKO! The enemy is defeated in your house and you and you wife have the greatest intimacy in a long time. She begins to encourage you and express her appreciation for you. You both win, because you lost to one another and turned to fight the true enemy–the devil.
Round Five: Unity
You admit to your wife that you have some issues, but you are ready and willing to change. You decide to go to church with her and give God a try. You go to marriage counseling and participate openly and honestly. She rejoices and celebrates your courage and growth. Unity in battle, you both attack the enemy by taking off the boxing gloves towards one another and putting them on to fight the enemy together. THIS MATCH IS ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS! YOU AND YOUR WIFE DEFEAT THE ENEMY IN 5 ROUNDS!
Review:
Jesus said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35 KJV)
In the context of marriage, this scripture means that we must let go of our selfish desires within our marriage. Jesus wants us to lay our lives down for our wives and family. The more we are like Christ in our marriages the more our family is filled with love, faithfulness, peace and righteous living. So, the next time you are tempted to put your gloves on in your marriage, remember that your wife is not the enemy. She is your suitable helper. God honors marriage, especially one that brings him glory.
http://www.goodservantsenterprises.com
