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PURSUE SIMPLICITY Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life prosperity and honor. -Proverbs 21:21 With the fast pace of American life the idea of simplicity starts to sound like a dream one can only fantasize about. Well, in a sense, we can make that fantasy a reality, at least within the realms of our own minds. Peace is, after all, a state of mind. How can we make that dream come true, particularly in our marriages? By directing our thoughts and actions to the pursuit of only two things: doing the “right” thing, and learning to love. It’s that simple. ( -a lot easier said than done!) It’s interesting to note how this proverb doesn’t say, “Whoever pursues life, prosperity and honor will find it.” You don’t find life, prosperity and honor by going after it. Psychiatrists’ offices are filled with people pursuing happiness, but the more they pursue it the more it eludes them. Why? It’s because life, prosperity and honor, or true happiness and peace, comes only as a result of doing the right thing and learning how to love. A key word is the word “pursues.” That’s a pro-active effort to do the right thing. Most of the time we know what the right thing is. When we’re not sure, we can pursue knowledge of the right thing through Scripture, prayer and Godly counsel. Don’t go by what others do. Even the advice of a well-meaning friend can lead you astray if it isn’t in line with the Word and the Spirit of the Gospel. Get into the Word; get into prayer. Find out what God is saying to you. Then “lovingly” put it into practice. There is no greater force than love, which is worked out when we sacrifice for the needs of another. That’s what love is. (Forget about, “oceans of emotions,” and all that stuff.) Love is sacrifice. It is divine. That’s why you must receive it for yourself before you can have it to give to others. You receive it as you develop your own personal relationship with the One who is Love -Jesus Christ! So let’s make up our minds to keep life simple. Live to pursue only two things: doing the right thing, and learning how to love. The results will be life prosperity, and honor. What more could we want in this life? Question For The Both of Us: Do we see one another pursuing righteousness and love? What does that look like in our relationship and in our lives? Prayer for the Both of Us: Lord, help us to simplify our lives by filtering out everything but the pursuit of righteousness and love. Help us to hold each other accountable to maintain our focus, but help us to do this with gentleness and respect. |
© 2007 Marriage & Family Savers Ministries