tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6043971967398769903.post5524800209038803522..comments2024-03-28T19:16:46.275-05:00Comments on The Watchman's Bagpipes: The Art of Choosing Your LoveGlenn E. Chatfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117405535707961903noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6043971967398769903.post-118229851627048582020-02-21T13:29:55.111-06:002020-02-21T13:29:55.111-06:00JHS,
Well I'll pray for your wisdom!
You mi...JHS, <br /><br />Well I'll pray for your wisdom!<br /><br />You might also take a look at a post from August; it critiques another blogger's "qualifications" for marriage while demonstrating the "qualifications" my wife and I had.<br />https://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2019/08/qualifications-for-marriage.html<br /><br />And, yes, outside of the decision for Christ, the decision for choosing a spouse is the most important one you'll ever make.Glenn E. Chatfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04117405535707961903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6043971967398769903.post-10887523759225448212020-02-20T20:32:42.861-06:002020-02-20T20:32:42.861-06:00Thank you for this post. It was of great encourage...Thank you for this post. It was of great encouragement to me. At 21 years old, debt-free, wrapping up a master's degree very soon, and with stable employment, God has blessed me so much already. Recently, I have been praying that God would provide me a wife in His due time. There's a particular young woman I have been praying about, for wisdom on starting a courtship with her. I have known her for almost 12 years, and our families are very close. Only recently have I started considering the possibility of marriage now that school is almost complete and I'm more financially prepared. She is a very godly woman and loves the Lord and His Word. I admire her character and "gentle and quiet spirit" (from 1 Peter 3). This post has confirmed that I've been looking for the right qualities in a potential wife (love for God, wise in the Scriptures, moral integrity, etc.). It has also given me some good pointers on how to prepare for being a good husband (specifically, being Christ-centered rather than self-centered, practicing godly managing, and learning to respect and cherish women).<br /><br />You talked about how men should be Christ-centered rulers, ruling in their homes like a king. This is something I've thought a lot about because of Romans 5:17, one of my favorite verses. I think this verse is crucial to how we live our lives as believers. "Much more those who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."<br /><br />We all want to reign in life, don't we? We all want to reign over sin (not giving in to temptation, lust, or pride). We want to reign in other areas of life too (financially, in our jobs, at home). But all too often we resort to doing it our way. We reign in the flesh rather than by God's Holy Spirit. This verse contains the keys to reigning in life! We must 1) Receive the abundance of God's grace, and 2) Receive the gift of righteousness. It truly is that simple. If we want to reign in life, God's word says we must receive abundance of grace, meaning we must yield to God's strength and power rather than our own (see Prov. 21:1), and we must accept His grace as sufficient for us. His word says to reign in life we must receive the gift of righteousness, meaning that we believe in Christ's sacrifice on the cross as being sufficient for our sins, and as granting us His full righteousness. This is simply the meaning of justification--Christ took our sin and in its place gave us His full righteousness! We don't need to prove anything about our worth or ability to reign. To reign well, we simply live by God's grace and accept His righteousness by faith.<br /><br />If you read this comment, I humbly ask you to pray for me and my potential marriage to this young woman. They say who you marry is the second most important decision you'll ever make in your life, after choosing Christ as your Savior. I want to choose well, and more than that, I want to choose a wife according to God's will. I know Christ is faithful and He will lead me!<br /><br />God bless,<br />JHSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com