The Couple That Serves Together Stays Together
"and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8b).
As our lives become more hectic many married couples lose the intimacy present when they first married.
Work, kids, household chores, and other general busy-ness often get in the way of the relationship.
A great way to recover the intimacy in your marriage is to serve God together.
By placing the emphasis on others a couple can experience a revival of the intimacy they had when first married.
A Godly marriage consists of people who think of their spouse's needs and wants before their own.
When you serve others you think less of your own desires and become a model for your children and other couples.
Jerusalem At this point you may be saying, "Rick, this sounds great, but where do I start.
" The answer is to start where Jesus started in Acts 1:8-Jerusalem; your Jerusalem; your local church.
There are a wide variety of ways to serve your church body as a couple.
Some examples include: · Serve as greeters on Sunday mornings · Teach a Sunday school class together · Serve together in the church nursery · Mentor a young married couple-your experience could be just what they need · Offer to baby-sit for a couple with young children so they can have a "date night" Judea In Jesus' day, Judea was the name of the Roman province which included Jerusalem.
The northern border was roughly 20 miles north of Jerusalem and the southern border was about 10 miles south of Jerusalem.
From east to west it extended from the Jordan River to about 10 miles east of the Mediterranean coast.
Overall, it covered roughly 1600 square miles.
Your Judea-your neighborhood-is probably not that large.
Yet it can seem that way as most Americans, even in the heart of suburbia, do not know their neighbors very well, if at all.
Hosting a neighborhood "open house" is a great way to get to know your neighbors.
Christmas is a good time to do this.
If you have a pool, the summer might work as well.
Maybe you can find some neighbors who share the same allegiance to a college or professional football team and you can host "game watching" parties with alternate activities for those not interested in football.
This may sound complicated and expensive but it does not have to be.
In fact, the simpler the better.
By keeping the food, decorations, and activities simple you allow for more interaction between you and your neighbors.
During this time you can learn of their concerns and offer to pray for them.
If they do not know Christ you can share the Gospel with them and/or invite them to come to church with you.
Someone new to the neighborhood or new to the Gospel will be more likely to attend a church where they already know someone.
Whatever you choose to do, engage your neighbors.
Keep it simple and put the focus on them and not you and your beautiful (or not so beautiful) house.
Samaria Samaria, in Jesus's day, was sandwiched between Judea and Galilee.
The Jews of Jesus's day considered Samaritans "unclean" and it is the Jewish hatred of the Samaritans which makes the parable of the Good Samaritan so poignant and powerful-to His original audience and to us.
Samaria symbolizes your community.
No matter what the economic situation is in your city, there are still needs.
There are families who are barely getting by; senior citizens who have no family in the area; a military family with spouse and/or parent stationed overseas.
There are so many ways to serve these needs, as well as the many others in your community: · Bring food or send a restaurant gift card to a family having trouble making ends meet · "Adopt" a senior citizen-visit with them, offer to clean their house, or complete repairs on their home and/or car · Bring desert or dinner once a month to the nearest fire or police station · Take the military family out to dinner and a movie or offer to babysit so the parent at home can get some much-needed time away from the little ones To the end of the earth You may or not personally know a missionary serving in some far-off land.
Sadly, many of them, even with the advent of new technologies like Skype, etc.
, are suffering from "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" syndrome and sometimes their own families forget birthdays or anniversaries.
Start by talking to your pastor or contact your denomination's mission organization and find a missionary to "adopt.
" Here are some ideas to serve your adopted missionary: · Send them a monthly e-mail asking how they are doing · Commit to pray for them-daily as well as special requests · Send e-cards on their birthdays and other special occasions · Inquire about what they miss most about home and try to include something in a care package to help them feel more at home.
Serving God and others together as a couple sounds much harder than it really is but the benefits to your marriage are immeasurable.
By serving together you each get in the habit of putting the needs of others ahead of your own as well as creating memories as a couple.
Soon you will be asking yourselves who is more blessed-you or those you have served?
As our lives become more hectic many married couples lose the intimacy present when they first married.
Work, kids, household chores, and other general busy-ness often get in the way of the relationship.
A great way to recover the intimacy in your marriage is to serve God together.
By placing the emphasis on others a couple can experience a revival of the intimacy they had when first married.
A Godly marriage consists of people who think of their spouse's needs and wants before their own.
When you serve others you think less of your own desires and become a model for your children and other couples.
Jerusalem At this point you may be saying, "Rick, this sounds great, but where do I start.
" The answer is to start where Jesus started in Acts 1:8-Jerusalem; your Jerusalem; your local church.
There are a wide variety of ways to serve your church body as a couple.
Some examples include: · Serve as greeters on Sunday mornings · Teach a Sunday school class together · Serve together in the church nursery · Mentor a young married couple-your experience could be just what they need · Offer to baby-sit for a couple with young children so they can have a "date night" Judea In Jesus' day, Judea was the name of the Roman province which included Jerusalem.
The northern border was roughly 20 miles north of Jerusalem and the southern border was about 10 miles south of Jerusalem.
From east to west it extended from the Jordan River to about 10 miles east of the Mediterranean coast.
Overall, it covered roughly 1600 square miles.
Your Judea-your neighborhood-is probably not that large.
Yet it can seem that way as most Americans, even in the heart of suburbia, do not know their neighbors very well, if at all.
Hosting a neighborhood "open house" is a great way to get to know your neighbors.
Christmas is a good time to do this.
If you have a pool, the summer might work as well.
Maybe you can find some neighbors who share the same allegiance to a college or professional football team and you can host "game watching" parties with alternate activities for those not interested in football.
This may sound complicated and expensive but it does not have to be.
In fact, the simpler the better.
By keeping the food, decorations, and activities simple you allow for more interaction between you and your neighbors.
During this time you can learn of their concerns and offer to pray for them.
If they do not know Christ you can share the Gospel with them and/or invite them to come to church with you.
Someone new to the neighborhood or new to the Gospel will be more likely to attend a church where they already know someone.
Whatever you choose to do, engage your neighbors.
Keep it simple and put the focus on them and not you and your beautiful (or not so beautiful) house.
Samaria Samaria, in Jesus's day, was sandwiched between Judea and Galilee.
The Jews of Jesus's day considered Samaritans "unclean" and it is the Jewish hatred of the Samaritans which makes the parable of the Good Samaritan so poignant and powerful-to His original audience and to us.
Samaria symbolizes your community.
No matter what the economic situation is in your city, there are still needs.
There are families who are barely getting by; senior citizens who have no family in the area; a military family with spouse and/or parent stationed overseas.
There are so many ways to serve these needs, as well as the many others in your community: · Bring food or send a restaurant gift card to a family having trouble making ends meet · "Adopt" a senior citizen-visit with them, offer to clean their house, or complete repairs on their home and/or car · Bring desert or dinner once a month to the nearest fire or police station · Take the military family out to dinner and a movie or offer to babysit so the parent at home can get some much-needed time away from the little ones To the end of the earth You may or not personally know a missionary serving in some far-off land.
Sadly, many of them, even with the advent of new technologies like Skype, etc.
, are suffering from "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" syndrome and sometimes their own families forget birthdays or anniversaries.
Start by talking to your pastor or contact your denomination's mission organization and find a missionary to "adopt.
" Here are some ideas to serve your adopted missionary: · Send them a monthly e-mail asking how they are doing · Commit to pray for them-daily as well as special requests · Send e-cards on their birthdays and other special occasions · Inquire about what they miss most about home and try to include something in a care package to help them feel more at home.
Serving God and others together as a couple sounds much harder than it really is but the benefits to your marriage are immeasurable.
By serving together you each get in the habit of putting the needs of others ahead of your own as well as creating memories as a couple.
Soon you will be asking yourselves who is more blessed-you or those you have served?
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