Moments Together for Intimacy , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Dennis Rainey

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64 pages

English

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Discover the Deep Currents of True Intimacy!We all talk about intimacy in marriage, but few of us know what it really means. While sexual relations are an important part of intimacy, there are many other equally important parts that are often overlooked. If you want greater intimacy in your marriage, Dennis and Barbara Rainey advise you to spend more focused time together! Specifically, set aside regular time for devotions as a couple. In just 10 minutes of quality time a day for 30 days, you can share Moments Together for Intimacy--focused readings chosen from the bestselling Moments Together for Couples. You'll read Scripture, discuss spiritual topics, and pray together as never before. Do that, and this small book will make an enormous impact in the way you communicate with each other and with God. Find the time--before it's too late!Spouse-Friendly Topics Include: · Decision making in marriage · Truly honoring you wife · The macho myth · What submission really means · Why you need romance

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	22 décembre 2008
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441266804
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

2003 Dennis and Barbara Rainey
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-6680-4
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Other versions used are:
NCV— Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Nashville, Tennessee. Used by permission.
NIV—Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
TLB —Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
Contents
Introduction
DAY 1: THE PARABLE OF THE PORCUPINES
DAY 2: MOTIVES FOR MARRIAGE
DAY 3: FILLING THE GAPS
DAY 4: GOD’S BLUEPRINTS FOR MARRIAGE
DAY 5: GOD’S BLUEPRINTS FOR MARRIAGE
DAY 6: AS THE YEARS GO BY
DAY 7: WIVES WERE MEANT TO SOAR
DAY 8: DECISION MAKING IN MARRIAGE
DAY 9: WHAT DOES SUBMISSION REALLY MEAN?
DAY 10: RESPECTING A RESPECTFUL HUSBAND
DAY 11: A FELLOW HEIR
DAY 12: GIVE YOURSELF UP
DAY 13: ARE YOU LISTENING?
DAY 14: UNDERSTANDING SEXUAL DIFFERENCES
DAY 15: THE “ONE FLESH” CHALLENGE
DAY 16: HONORING YOUR WIFE
DAY 17: THE MACHO MYTH
DAY 18: THE MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY
DAY 19: A WOMAN’S EMOTIONS
DAY 20: A WOMAN’S EMOTIONS
DAY 21: WHY YOU NEED ROMANCE
DAY 22: WHAT COMMUNICATES LOVE TO WOMEN
DAY 23: WHAT COMMUNICATES LOVE TO WOMEN
DAY 24: WHAT COMMUNICATES LOVE TO WOMEN
DAY 25: AVOIDING EMOTIONAL ADULTERY
DAY 26: ENTERING THE ATTIC
DAY 27: THE GREAT COVER-UP
DAY 28: THE GREAT COVER-UP
DAY 29: KEEPING A CLEAN SLATE
DAY 30: MARRIAGE CEMENT
I NTRODUCTION

Intimacy in marriage. What is it? How do we achieve it?
The word tumbles from the tongue, but do we really understand its meaning? And more important, how do we experience it?
Sex is often thought to mean intimacy, and of course sexual relations in marriage are a part of intimacy. But there’s more. Much more.
At its core, to be intimate in marriage is to know and be known. Intimacy goes beyond the surface issue of knowing about another person to knowing who he or she really is— and being known yourself in the same way. Intimacy involves a lifelong process of knowing and being known deeply, very deeply.
Technology has given us the potential to know much about every conceivable topic and even to gather massive amounts of information about another person. But tons of knowledge does not necessarily guarantee one ounce of genuine intimacy in marriage.
True, deep intimacy can only occur in a marriage protected by the most sacred promise a man and woman ever make to another human being: their marriage covenant. Within these secure walls, love and intimacy have a chance to grow. In our culture of divorce, with its shallow view of love, it is no wonder intimacy is so rare in so many marriages. Many modern couples don’t even know each other very well, much less find the deep, satisfying currents of intimacy. In the one relationship where intimacy should grow and ripen like luscious fruit in a vineyard, too often the only crops are loneliness, disappointment, pain and regret.
This does not have to be! If you desire greater intimacy in your marriage, we have some advice: Spend more focused time with God and with each other! Intimacy requires more than a lot of relational hanging out. You need to do the right things when you are together to build a relationship that sinks a shaft of unconditional love deep into your souls.
One of the best activities to deepen intimacy is a regular time of joint devotions. Spending some quality time reading Scripture, discussing spiritual topics and praying together will draw you closer. That’s why we have created Moments Together for Intimacy. This small but practical book will help you create the spiritual environment where your intimacy with God and one another can grow. Here are 30 devotionals, each requiring only about 10 minutes, that will help you and your spouse find deeper intimacy—both with God and each other.
Some of the topics include the following:

Decision making in marriage
Communication
What submission really means
Understanding differences between men and women
Truly honoring your wife
The macho myth
Why you need romance
What communicates love
We pray that you and your spouse will seek greater intimacy by using this devotional book to its fullest advantage. If you give it your all, in just 30 days we believe you will know each other and God more intimately than ever before.
DAY 1
T HE P ARABLE OF THE P ORCUPINES
For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.
M ATTHEW 16:25
Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the two porcupines freezing in the winter cold. Shivering in the frigid air, the two porcupines move closer together to share body heat and warmth. But then their sharp spines and quills prick each other painfully and they move apart, victims once more of the bitter cold around them. Soon they again feel they must come together, or they will freeze to death. But their quills cause too much pain and they part again.
Family members suffer from the cold of isolation, too— and they learn of the pain of being close to someone with quills. We desperately need to learn how to live with the barbs that are part of coming together in oneness.
C. S. Lewis describes the urgency of learning this lesson:

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung, possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully around with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. 1
Intimacy extracts a price. The closer I get to Barbara, the more she becomes aware of who I really am. The more transparent we become, the greater the possibility that she will reject me. But if both of us are committed to each other despite our quills—if we are willing, as Jesus said, to lose our lives instead of saving them—intimacy awaits us.

Discuss: On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 at the top of the scale, how would you rate the level of intimacy in your marriage?

Pray: Ask God for openness and intimacy in your family that connects one another’s hearts and creates a deep sense of belonging.
Note
1 . C. S. Lewis, The Inspirational Writings of C. S. Lewis (New York: Inspirational Press, 1994), p. 278.

I F WE ARE WILLING, AS J ESUS SAID, TO LOSE OUR LIVES INSTEAD OF SAVING THEM— INTIMACY AWAITS US .
DAY 2
M OTIVES FOR M ARRIAGE
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the LORD, it will stand.
P ROVERBS 19:21
Why did you get married? For sex? Romance? Companionship? Security? To have children?
There are good reasons for marriage, and there are childish ones. Years ago I read an article in an issue of McCall’s magazine that included some humorous comments from children:

Gwen, age 9: “When I get married I want to marry someone who is tall and handsome and rich and hates spinach as much as me.”
Arnold, age 6: “I want to get married, but not right away yet because I can’t cross the street by myself yet.”
Steve, age 10: “I want to marry somebody just like my mother except I hope she don’t make me clean up my room.”
Bobby, age 9: “I don’t have to marry someone who is rich, just someone who gets a bigger allowance than me.”
Raymond, age 9: “First she has to like pizza, then she has to like cheesecake, after that she has to like fudge candy, then I know our marriage will last forever.” 1
We chuckle at these childish impressions, yet I have counseled couples whose purposes for getting married were not much more profound. Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C.-A.D. 65), a Roman philosopher, wrote, “If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind.” 2
The book of Genesis describes how, after creating Adam, God realized it was not good for him to be alone, so He gave him a mate.
Since God created marriage, it makes sense that He has a purpose for it. God’s blueprint for marriage is the plan to follow, the harbor to which we want to head. In the next few devotionals I will look more closely at His plan for marriage.

Discuss: Why did you marry? What did you hope to get out of marriage?

Pray: Ask that God will spare you and your family from drifting aimlessly through life and that He will give your family His purpose, plan and direction.

Notes
1 . McCall’s. Date and page unknown.
2 . “Seneca,” Thinkexist. www.thinkexist.com/English/Author/x/Author_4084 (accessed December 30, 2002).