Going All the Way

Took some time this week to finish up a book by Craig Groeschel about marriage called Going All the Way. More precisely it's a book about how to prepare for marriage but it has some great insights about how to maintain a healthy marriage for couples. For those who are not married, I highly recommend that you read this book BEFORE you get involved in a relationship. Some of Craig's most insightful advice is about preparing yourself for a dating relationship.

Here are some quotes from the book that I thought were great.

"A good marriage is never easy. But it is absolutely possible."

"If you want something few have - genuine closeness, trust, respect, and lasting commitment - you'll have to do what few do."

"Loving the Lord first is a practical principle for getting the most out of life. Only when the Lord is in His rightful place can we move beyone the first and greatest commandment and start successfully living out the second priority - loving someone else." (My take - we know this. But there are too many times in my life when I'm not practicing this.)

"Jesus is the One."

"Sin is like a good sneeze. It feels good coming out. Then you get snot everywhere." (This was an aside in the book but made me laugh out loud.)

"God gave us those words (Song of Songs) to show us how blessed sex can be when it stays within His will. This isn't about good or bad, it's about order."

"Sex in marriage is about so much more than a pair of orgasms. It's about shared souls."

"Right after giving all of ourselves to our Savior, the married Christ follower is to give everything to his or her spouse."

"A marriage that's going to last isn't based on a one-time decision to put God first and spouse second. It requires a commitment that you affirm daily."

"Passivity in marriage is disastrous."

"Wherever sin lives, intimacy dies. And where intimacy lives, sin dies."

"Here's a more important question, and I'll admit, a more challenging one: What person do I need to become so I'll be ready for a healthy, fulfilling marriage . . . and bless my spouse-to-be?"

About thinking of marriage as a covenant instead of a contract, Craig says this, "The goal of a smart contract is to increase my rights while decreasing my responsibility. . . Think of a marriage covenant as an unconditionaly surrendering of one's rights while increasing one's responsibility."

--peace, jamie