ICS Daily Devotions
Build Your Relationship on A Solid Foundation
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Nobody likes the phase of building up the foundation for a building. It is a tedious but needful process in order to build a safe and secure building. One of the areas where it is important to lay a good foundation is marriage. It needs to stay strong and lasting. Many of the couples need to have their minds renewed and perhaps also need to experience a paradigm shift. We might not be comfortable with it because we are challenged and also asked to lay down our rights, conditions and privileges for each other. Nevetheless, let us be a wise man who builds his house on the rock as the foundation.
If we have not taken time to lay the foundation then it will collapse when it is shaken. It can be shaken by overuse of individualism, by walking in our flesh, or by a lack of vision and direction. Marriage is not a contract with its rights, conditions, privileges and escape clause. Marriage is a covenant and requires a whole-hearted effort and vision. A basis for marriage is a three-fold love. It has to be built on agape, phileo and eros love. Three “strand chords” will not be easily broken (see Ecc 4:12). Apart from a good communication, the art of marriage is about the needs and expectations, the roles, responsibilities, decision making, and conflict management.
The real test of whether we have learned enough of what we have been taught will be seen and heard during a time of conflict. How do we react in time of conflict? How should we behave in time of conflict?
Conflict is a fact of life. It is normal to have conflict even in a marriage because we have two unique people coming together. The family background, upbringing, experiences, perception, personality, pre-conceived ideas, or character of each individual is a good concoction for conflict. Conflict is defined as a clash, contention, or sharp disagreement over interests, ideas, theology, etc.
Our beliefs, ideas, attitudes, feelings, spiritual maturity, feelings and behaviors are different. The differences in itself is not the problem but how we react to them. Maybe, we are the only child at home and we always get our way but we have to learn to compromise and yield, if needed in a marriage. Or we might be the youngest in the family, therefore everyone seems to give in to us. No matter what our background is, it is necessary to mature enough to handle all conflicts in a godly way.
Sometimes the conflicts may arise unexpectedly and we need to be ready to face them and handle in a proper way. If the foundation that we build is not strong enough, we will be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. When the conflict comes, it will be like a flood of anger and bitterness that will beat on the marriage; and it may fall. Therefore, let us be ready to build solid foundation that is not easily shaken. Let us dive into the truth of the Word of God, internalise it, renew our mind and be ready to live it out!
Sermon Series : Before You Say I Do
