Being married does not stop you from dating each other!
Dating your spouse will help to enrich your marriage and make it stronger.
ENCOURAGING AN ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE
Whilst the word ‘gratitude’ is not seen in many English translations of the Bible it is a theme that runs through both the Old and the New Testament.
Gratitude is a major element of any relationship. The meaning of the word ‘gratitude’ in Websters Dictionary of 1828:
GRAT’ITUDE, n. [L. gratitudo, from gratus, pleasing. See Grace.]
An emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness. Gratitude is an agreeable emotion, consisting in or accompanied with good will to a benefactor, and a disposition to make a suitable return of benefits or services, or when no return can be made, with a desire to see the benefactor prosperous and happy. Gratitude is a virtue of the highest excellence, as it implies a feeling and generous heart, and a proper sense of duty.
The love of God is the sublimest gratitude.
The Hebrew and Greek words for thankfulness, thanksgiving and thanks appear many times in the Old and New Testaments respectively. Giving thanks to our Lord is an important theme that runs
We boldly need to continue to teach, equip
and correct using all scripture
Over these last months the attack on the Christian Church and the inspiration and authority of the Bible has not abated, despite the pandemic and the continuing acts of terrorism around the world.
Some in the Church believe that we have brought this upon ourselves when scripture has been made culturally understandable to the society of today; when this is done sometimes the biblical message is sifted by worldly experience or knowledge until it fits with that experience and knowledge.
This has happened in the context of marriage and family where the scriptural purpose and values of marriage and family are almost completely opposed to the world view. Regrettably, there are some in the Christian Church who believe their marriage, their family and indeed their life are all good, but is their measure against the world’s scale and not God’s scale. Within the world’s scale is “self-actualisation’. In Abraham Maslow’s [1908-70] ‘hierarchy of needs’ it is the highest level of psychological development, where personal potential is fully realized after basic bodily and ego needs have been fulfilled. This whole process is about SELF,
From what we see and hear in God’s creation, He has created many forms of communication. But, for us, He chose that our primary means of communication is the speaking out of words! The heavens and the earth were created by God, with each part of creation being initiated by the words, “And God said….” After creating Adam and seeing it was wrong for him to be alone, God created Eve and, as Gen 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and 
fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over …….””
Words that are spoken or written have power, importance and are the largest part of communication alongside of listening with understanding. “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20 [NKJV] God has also given us many other ways for us to communicate.
Scripture, 1 John 3:18 [NLT], “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”
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