How to keep your marriage growing

(The following are the main points from the message preached by Michael Larsen on September 15, 2019.)

There are five insights to keep your marriage growing. 

1. Keep on paying attention.  I show I care by staying aware.  We have to overcome our pride, presumptions, and hurry.

2. Keep on making adjustments.  It means both thinking about what he or she needs the most and submitting to each other.

3. Keep on showing affection.

Four things you need to do if you’ve lost the romantic feelings of affection for your husband or your wife.  The Bible says in Revelation 2:4-5  “Jesus said ‘The love you had at first is gone.  Remember how far you have fallen.  Return to Me.  Change the way you think and act and do what you did at first.”  He says here four things: remember, return, repent, repeat.

1.  First He says I want you to remember.  He says if you want to get the lost love back you start remembering why you fell in love in the first place.  

2. Next is return.  He says, return to Me.  Turn your focus back to Me.  

3. The third thing He says is repent. Change the way you think and act. Love is not a feeling.  Love is choice.  

4. He says repeat.  Do the things you did when you first fell in love.  

4. Keep on giving affirmation.

Three things you can affirm in your spouse:

            1.  Affirm their value.  

            2.  Affirm each other’s strengths.  

            3.  Affirm each other’s ministry.  

5. Keep on following Jesus.

First, if you haven’t already done so you need to publicly identify yourself as a Christian.  A second thing that you can do is you can pray for each other.  Then finally you follow God’s word.