Are you Ready for an Upgrade Part 6 by Van Shepard

Today we are reposting a few articles from our Heartlife Marriage Team! Enjoy and pray for our entire Heartlife Ministry as we are away this weekend for our Annual Couples Getaway!

ARE YOU READY FOR AN UP GRADE?

With this year’s marriage retreat approaching, we are asking couples who are ready for an up grade to come with a spirit of expectation. Most times we don’t have a problem with expectation. Most of us are always expecting something. We expect to get paid for a job when it is completed. We expect that when we deposit our check in the bank to receive that which we have deposited. We expect a return on our investments. Notice the words Deposit, Return and Investments.

We can not expect a return on something that we have not taken the time to invest in. No deposit, No return. What I am saying is that we must invest in our marriages if we want to see an up grade. Things can either get better or they can get worst. An up grade sounds better to me.

We all know that the bible says that we will reap what we have sown. If we don’t sow into our marriages than we can expect something, even without sowing. But what we can expect is nothing because we have sowed nothing. So we reap nothing. We can sow good things and reap good things.

Now someone may say, well I have sown into this marriage for years and I have gotten back nothing but pain and sorrow. One thing we need to understand is that marriage is a covenant agreement between two people. Ephesians 5: 21 talks about submitting to one another. Submission often times is a term given to women, but the bible talks about submission on both parts man and woman.

I once heard a pastor say that when he is counseling a couple for marriage, he tells them that before they get married they need to have two funerals. One for the husband and one for the wife. What this means is that we must learn to be submissive to one another. Dying to ourselves so that there is unity and harmony in any relationship. Some times people expect alot from someone else but they don’t give a lot. Sounds a little selfish to me!! If you require more of a person than you are willing to give yourself, then maybe there hasn’t been a funeral for you yet. Maybe you haven’t understood that you will get back that which you have put in. If you are someone who has put in alot and you have not seen a return on your marriage then let me say this. Cast NOT AWAY therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of REWARD. God is not going to let your labor for one another go unrewarded. For we need patience, that after we have done the will of God, we might receive the promise. Have faith in God’s promise. He will deliver and make good on it if we faint not.

God Blessings,
Evangelan (Van) Shepherd