Pursuing Growth as Couples: A 3-Day Marriage PlanSample

Growing With God

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. 1 Peter 2:2

Our culture tends to emphasize personal growth at the cost of marriage commitment. Humans are made for a lifelong growth curve, and the best place to experience it is inside a faithful, God‐blessed marriage. When the Lord Jesus is the “third person” in our union, we can flourish with spiritual intimacy and growth unavailable to others. I (JCD) am reminded of a letter a woman wrote to me:

Dear Dr. Dobson:

My husband recently left me after fifteen years of marriage. We had a great relationship, but something was missing—we had no spiritual bond between us. Please tell young couples that there will always be a void in their lives together without Christ. A good marriage must have its foundation in Him to experience lasting love, peace, and joy. I am now growing steadily in my walk with the Lord, but I am alone.

Don’t forget to grow with God together. The “pure spiritual milk” Peter writes about is the Word of God. Along with Christian fellowship and prayer, the Bible will feed the deepest hunger of your heart. And you’ll find the soulmate of your dreams—sitting right beside you!

Just between us…

• Do our church experiences nurture our spiritual life?

• Do we have friends who encourage our spiritual growth?

• How can we do a better job of growing together in God’s Word?

Lord, give us a hunger for Your Word. May we claim the spiritual growth You promise and the emotional and physical intimacy that can come with it. Amen.

Excerpted from Night Light for Couples, used with permission.

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. (Job 23:12, ESV)

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. (Jer. 15:16, ESV)