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Baker Publishing Group - Dennis Rainey

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60 pages

English

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Extrait

Description

This book is one in a set of small gift hardcover books that present thirty days of devotionals for married couples to read together. The selections in Moments Together for a Peaceful Home will focus on the many ways that husbands and wives can maintain peace and harmony at home--both in their relationship with one another and as parents of the children God has entrusted to their care. Married couples will learn practical ways to help family members live together united by the honoring actions of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	15 avril 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441266774
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0259€. 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 978-1-4412-6677-4
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 version used is: 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.
Days 10, 13, 22, 28, 29 and 30 reprinted by permission of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN, from the book Staying Close , copyright date 1989 by Dennis Rainey. All rights reserved.
Days 19, 25 and 26 reprinted by permission of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN, from the book The New Building Your Mate’s Self-Esteem , copyright date 1995 by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.
The publisher regrets the omission of credits and requests documentation for future printings.
Contents
Introduction
Day 1 Answering Jesus’ Prayer
Day 2 Of First Importance
Day 3 Of Second Importance
Day 4 Do Something of Value Tonight
Day 5 Do Something of Value Tonight
Day 6 Fathers as Servant-Leaders
Day 7 The Proverbs 31 Woman?
Day 8 Loose Lips Sink Ships
Day 9 Parents as Protectors
Day 10 Who is Your Enemy?
Day 11 The Greatest Gift
Day 12 “Wasting Time” Together
Day 13 The Gentle Art of Confrontation
Day 14 Who Are you to Judge?
Day 15 God’s Landmarks
Day 16 The Seventy-Timesseven Club
Day 17 Looking at God’s Example
Day 18 Rx: Laughter
Day 19 Sowing Words of Praise
Day 20 A Little Bit of Grace
Day 21 The Lifeline of Connection
Day 22 Communication or Isolation?
Day 23 The Number One Threat to Families
Day 24 The End of Every Man
Day 25 Pleasing Your Mate
Day 26 Living with Differences
Day 27 Dusting Each Other Off
Day 28 Growing Up
Day 29 “Me First!”—Crowding In
Day 30 Building Blocks for A Home
I NTRODUCTION

We live in a world of speed and noise, of frayed nerves and hurried schedules, of crushing responsibilities and unrealistic expectations. And sometimes all you want are a few moments of peace.
For some people, peace means a Sunday afternoon nap; for others, it may mean a walk in the forest or an afternoon by a bubbling stream. For married couples, it is those times of contentment and bliss when you can revel in each other’s company and enjoy a glimpse of the harmony God can bring to a relationship. For many parents, peace may be a rare commodity that occurs for about five minutes a day—every other week on Saturdays.
We invite you and your spouse to carve out a few minutes each day for some time of peace and rest. Take a break from your schedule and spend some time together reading Scripture and pondering just what you can do to experience more peace in your home on a regular basis.
Moments Together for a Peaceful Home contains 30 brief devotionals for a husband and wife to work through together. Some of the topics we cover:

• Sorting out your priorities
• Making a choice to do something of value with your family
• Finding value in laughter
• Confronting each other—gently
• Forgiving others as God forgives you
• Pleasing your mate
• Dealing with personality differences
The greatest thing you and your spouse can do for your family is to spend a few peaceful moments together learning how you can bring God into your lives and those of your family. Each of these devotionals takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. We’re confident that you’ll look forward to these few minutes as the highlight of your day.
Dennis and Barbara Rainey
Moments Together for A PEACEFUL HOME
DAY 1
A NSWERING J ESUS ’ P RAYER
I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one .
J OHN 17 : 20 - 21
As I reflect on the teachings of Christ, I find that much of His instruction dealt with maintaining peace and harmony in relationships. He taught His disciples to break down barriers in relationships. He taught them to forgive each other. Love was the banner of His earthly ministry.
The Scripture passage above is part of the Savior’s high-priestly prayer, prayed near the end of His life. Why did He focus on unity and oneness at this crucial point? Could it be that it was because the strongest demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives is imperfect Christians living with one another?
But it isn’t always easy, is it? When you and your mate—or you and your children—have a conflict with each other, you probably tend to withdraw from intimacy. Then you begin to believe the worst about the other person, and eventually you lash out in anger or bitterly withdraw, allowing the anger to fester.
Communication is vital to maintaining unity. You may have to reinvent your own pony express to stay close, even if it has to run through hostile territory. Maybe you’ll have one meal a day when your family sits down and eats together, with the phone off the hook and the television off. Possibly you’ll pray with your mate and with each of your children at the end of the day. Or maybe you’ll take a walk and talk with a troubled teen who just needs you to be there.
The main thing is to take responsibility for doing your part to see that Jesus’ prayer—that you may “be one”—doesn’t go unanswered in your family.

Discuss: In your family, how does disharmony typically start? Does fostering family harmony always mean settling kids’ differences for them?

Pray: Pray that Christ’s prayer for unity will be realized among your family members by their coming together in love, acceptance and forgiveness.

T AKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DOING YOUR PART TO SEE THAT J ESUS’ PRAYER—THAT YOU MAY “BE ONE”—DOESN’T GO UNANSWERED .
DAY 2
O F F IRST I MPORTANCE
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures .
1 C ORINTHIANS 15 : 3 - 4 ( NIV )
The Bible is a collection of many books and has many truths to teach us. We are blessed that in this passage the apostle Paul singles out its core truth. Of course nothing in Scripture is unimportant, but nothing else is “of first importance” like the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
What do all of us—children, teens and adults—need to know to make the significance of Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection real in our lives? First, we need to know who God is and how He loves us . We need to know what sets Him apart from humans:

• God is holy; He is perfect. People, however, are not perfect.
• God is just; He is always fair. We are not just in all our decisions.
• God is love; He desires a relationship with us— that’s why He sent His Son. We are not always motivated out of our love for another.
Second, we need to know that our sins must be forgiven (see Rom. 6:23). Many people in this culture of tolerance feel uncomfortable talking about hell. God is patient, but He is not tolerant. His justice calls for an atonement (a payment, a penalty) for people’s sins. We must understand that our sins can keep us out of heaven. Our sins must be paid for. And that is what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.
Finally, we need to know that we receive God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ (see Eph. 2:8-9). Faith involves repenting of our sins, turning to God in faith and trusting Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord. When we repent, we acknowledge our sins before God and express our sorrow for our sins to Him.
These are the basics that we all need to know about that which is “of first importance.”

Discuss: Have you made these truths about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection “of first importance” in your lives? Have you explained these truths to your children?

Pray: If you have not yet received God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ, consider doing so now. Here’s a sample prayer: “Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.” Also pray that God would work in your children’s hearts to bring them to Him.

N OTHING ELSE IS “OF FIRST IMPORTANCE” LIKE THE DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS .