Beyond: Living UnshakableՕրինակ

The Lord has laid a vertical foundation in living unshakable: grow in our love for God through His word, prayer and Holy Spirit, embrace our calling, and care for His vessel by nourishing, resting and moving our bodies as He leads. We will now shift focus to the plane intersecting with this foundation: others. Properly aligned, we are now better able to love those around us, be it our parents and/or spouse, siblings and/or children, co-workers or partners in ministry, and anyone we interact with while out and about in our circle of influence.

If we are not married, our second most important relationship is our relationship with our parents. Proverbs encourages us there is a blessing of grace and honor in our lives, when we respect and honor our parents in the way Holy Spirit leads. If we are married, our marriage relationship is to be prioritized second to our relationship with God. Genesis reminds us, we leave our parents to be joined as one to our spouse. In this unity, there is to be mutual submission, or a supportive love exchange between husband and wife. Both our relationship with our parents and spouse, are called to reflect relationship with God, in the way we see God as Father, and Christ as our eternal Husbandman.

Learning to revere, honor and respond to godly advice from our parents before marriage, and even after, helps “set the stage” in our lives to learn to revere, honor and respond to God in our lives through Holy Spirit leading. Learning to honor our spouse the way God desires, enables us to appreciate and value the role Christ plays in our lives as Husbandman and our role as the Bride of Christ. Thank God He provides us with natural examples to learn to walk in the Spirit as He designed.

Today, sit with the Lord and allow Him to search your heart for a moment. Be encouraged to ask:

Lord, do I honor and respect my parents in the way You intended? Father God, do I revere You as You deserve?

Lord, does a supportive, Christ-centered, love exchange between my spouse and I, exist? Do I live in such a way I look to You, Jesus, as my Head?

Lord, has my relationship with my parents or husband become an idol in my life? If so, what steps are You setting before me to walk in recourse?

Father, how might You be calling me to better love my parents? Spouse? Both? 

Holy Spirit, are there places of pain in my life, sourced from either my parents or spouse, where the balm of forgiveness needs to be applied in order to properly align with Your divine order, and live unshakable?

Jesus, am I living in such a way my life is being purified in order to be one with the spotless Bride You are returning for?

With God’s grace and Holy Spirit leading, resolve to grow beyond comfort zones and live unshakable by determining to be more intentional about loving well your parents or spouse, or both.

Prayer: Father, I ask You to cause me to live in relationship with my parents in a way that brings honor to both You and my natural father and mother. Lord, thank You for the “training ground” to learn to respond to Your leading and instruction, via my relationship with my parents. Jesus, I ask you to cause me to live in relationship with my spouse in a way that radiates Your relationship with Your Bride, the Church. God, I ask You to search my heart and reveal any areas where either my parents or spouse may be at the center of my life, where You rightfully belong, and lead me in taking steps to realign. Jesus, thank You, amen.