Tuesday, March 24, 2015
"The Lord is my
strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore
my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him" (Psalm 28:7). "Do
not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
Hey Gang: I am a
balanced therapy addict! I have refrained from using the word
"therapy" because of the connotations that it surfaces in many
minds. I would rather have people look at their lives from the platform
of experience. I am also an advocate of looking at all of life situations
from the standpoint of a three-point triangle that includes Values, Choices and
Destinations.
And what do I mean by
balanced. There is no denying the fact that we are going to run into
'Back-Against-The-Wall, Alligators up to our armpits, and clinkers in our path
on a fairly regular basis. I have come to this conclusion: when we
allow the negatives to override the positives, we are going to get clobbered!
I believe, if all couples
who were contemplating marriage were compelled to read Gary Smalley's
book The Language of Love, it would provide a foundation on which
to build a relationship within the marriage. He introduces the concept of
a ‘Love Bank’, which we have shared with many couples and families.
What in the world is that? It is the same as your checking account with
your local bank only it pertains to human behaviors.
When we do something good
for our mate or child, that is a deposit in your love bank account and when
there is a disagreement, you make a withdrawl from your love bank
account. It is sad that so many couples get into deep financial problems
because they think that must have all the bangles and beads the world
offers. And that same attitude prevails in many marriages. When the
withdrawals, financial or loving, exceed the deposits, trouble is close at hand!
The basics of the Love
Bank or the ‘tie that binds’ is found in Ecclesiastes
9:4-9; the Preacher writes about a strand of three that binds the husband and
the wife and the Holy Spirit together. A strand of three is so much
stronger than a strand of two! And when the two are not bound through a love
bank principle, it is a strand of one plus one, and breaking a strand of one,
is a piece of cake, especially when there is no Holy Spirit in the life of that
one.
‘Love Bank’ principles
are found throughout the Bible. Jesus was a constant planter of deposits
in all those who loved Him and called Him Lord. His greatest contribution
to your Love Bank was His willingness to lay down His life
that you might be freed from the bondage of sin. He said, "Greater
love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for friends" (John
15:13).
I have heard it
said a zillion times that marriage is a 50 - 50 proposition. To that I
shout "balderdash". First, marriage is not a
proposition, it is a lay down your life commitment: second, it is not 50-50 it
is 100% - zip. If you are not willing to lay down your life for that
special person God united you with, go fishing instead of to the altar.
Jesus, "the way,
the truth, and the life" gave us clear instructions in the proper
procedures for our Love Bank, He said, "For
I was hungry, and you fed me;I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a
stranger, and you took me in; naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me;
in prison and you came to Me." (Matt. 25:35-36). When
questioned about doing these things, Jesus responded, "…to the
extent you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me" (Vs.
40). Even our spouse and family!
Soooo, Jesus removed any
excuse we might muster for not going into all the world or even our neighbor! He
said, "I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that
they are white for harvest" (John 4:35) He also said, "The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few" (Matt.
9:37). What say ye? Are you a laborer for
Jesus? Is it time to do an accounting on your Love Bank?
Blessings,
Gramps
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