Seminar: Secrets of Christian Courtship and Marriage
Today all five of us attended a full-day seminar on ‘courtship and marriage’ (Rahasia Pacaran & Pernikahan Kristen).
…
Here are a few points that I wish to share with you:
💑 It’s not about finding the right one, but it’s more about preparing ourself to be the right one
💑 Marriage is a union between two sinners. There will surely be conflicts and problems.
💑 When we watch TV, we don’t watch the ‘actual box’ in front of us. We watch ‘what is shown’ by the box. Through TV, we can see the beauty of nature, and even go to places we’ve never been before.
In the same way, when people see our marriage, what do they see?
If we’re to choose a particular genre, what ‘category’ will our marriage fall into? Romantic comedy, action, thriller or perhaps … horror?
💑 Is our marriage a blessing to others, or do others curse christian marriages / the God we worship when they see our marriage?
💑 Three important principles to keep (Hebrew 13:4):
>> Marriage should be honoured by all
>> Marriage bed to be kept pure
>> God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
💑 Whoever says he/she is ready to marry, then that person must also be ready to deny himself/herself, sacrifice self, to help/protect/serve another.
💑 Many people actively serve God when they’re single. And when they have a boyfriend/girlfriend, they serve ‘less’. By the time they’re married, they hardly serve at all.
When we do any kind of work, the amount of work completed should naturally be even MORE when there is an extra help. The same goes with courtship and marriage. When there are two of us, more should naturally be done. Getting married is also about expanding the Kingdom of God.
💑 John 9:1 says, ‘As he passed by, HE SAW A MAN blind from birth.’
Interesting how it is written that Jesus ‘saw a MAN’ who happened to be blind from birth. He didn’t see people as ‘THE blind’ or ‘THE crippled’. Jesus saw the MAN as an image of God. Too often, when we see other people, we only see their flaws, their weaknesses. And we mock and disrespect them.
💑 A ‘good marriage’ requires good communication. The problem is, in this fallen world, communication and relationships are broken and damaged.
💑 Because of sin, communication is no longer loving / used to express genuine love, but it’s more about exerting power over others, attacking others and avoiding responsibilities.
💑 The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart (Matthew 15:18). Our words reflect what’s in our heart, ie. Pride, hatred, selfishness, anger, self-pity. Sinfulness, basically.
From the mouth, we justify ourselves and place ourselves as the centre of everything. And often, when things happen that we feel is not favourable, we express it through our words that WE are the victim.
💑 Husbands, respect, be gentle and loving to your wives, and she’ll be willing to give her heart and submit to you. Wives, submit to your husband. Men and women are created equal, with different roles, different orders.
💑 If other people owe you some money, it is okay if you forget about it. But, if you owe people money, you must remember and NOT forget! Remember other people’s kindness, but don’t keep remembering the mistakes of others, else you will suffer.
…
Okay, I’ll stop here.
There are just way too many to share! 🙏
There were 12,500+ people who listened to the talks today, btw!
I hope many have been blessed, whether they are married or not yet married.
I know I have 🙏
