Opened my eyes
Behold his glories
Like the sounds
Nightingales in a melancholy stray
Resound loud as the rolling seas
God of my weary years
God of my silent tears
Thou who hast by thy might
Led me into the light
Joy overflows in my heart
Gratitude state of mind
Just to be in the mood
In spirit and truth
Conscious only the just
Live by faith not sight.
Praising and worshiping you
What i will do always for you
Thanks be to the name
Above all other names.
By Ezeji Emmanuel Ogochukwu
Wouldn’t it be great if the signs were obviously clear about love. I mean, you spend time with someone, they do a lot for you, you laugh together, go places together, they tell you they love you…so it must be love, right?
Understanding if someone loves you can be confusing because there is so much going on in the relationship that looks like love but doesn’t quite feel like love. For every great moment spent together there could be moments that feel like pain, grief and loneliness. It can be hard to tell if
you are being loved when you have so many things to wonder about.
Love and Lust – Whats the Difference?
Love and Lust are two very strong emotions that feel quite the same. They feel so much alike they are often mistaken for one another. Some people that are in Lust think they are in Love. This mistaken identity is the main cause for relationships that are troubled with disrespect, inconsideration, and lack of appreciation.
Both Love and Lust can be fun, exciting, and give you that “butterflies in the stomach” feeling. But only one will stand against the storm and fight till the end for you.
#Attributes of Love:
Love is committed to the relationship, it will make sacrifices for you, it will inconvenience itself for you, and your feelings will always comes first.
Love will take the time to get to know more about you, your family, your career, your likes and dislikes. Love will know your favorite color, what makes you laugh and what makes you cry. It loves being with you in any way it can, even if it’s just cooking with you, watching T.V. or just watching you talk on the phone. Love isn’t sex driven, it’s driven off you as a person. You are the one that makes the other happy, not sex. Sex is only an extension of that love.
#Attributes of Lust:
Lust is not committed to the relationship. It will not make sacrifices for you, it will almost never
inconvenience itself for you and your feelings most of the time will be second. Lust will not take the time to get to know more about you, your family, your career, your likes and
dislikes. Lust doesn’t know your favorite color or what makes you laugh or cry. Lust will want to see you every time for sex and if you don’t want to
have sex, there will be an attitude. Lust is driven off sex. It’s sex that makes the other happy, not you. Sex is very important and without it, the
relationship stands to suffer.
Love is actually VERY HARD. It takes a lot of self sacrificing and patience. It takes a special person to care enough to deal with issues and problems that
may come up in a relationship in a way that shows compassion. Love will look for the cause of problems and fix it. People that can do this understand that if you love someone, there is no
option but to work to hold the relationship together.
Lust looks for the easy way out of issues and problems that may come up in a relationship. They may look to sex as a fix for problems instead of trying to get to the root of the problem. Lust will be very impatient when issues arise and sometimes turn to other relationships for a sense of relief. Lust looks for options to get out of the relationship when things gets rough.
Search your heart this evening………. Are you in Lust or Love???
Building a home is not the same as building a house of blocks of flats, a duplex or a mansion. its not also the expensive interior decorations and
furnishing that makes a home. home building, simply put is a godly wife who assumes the status of a God fearing, hospitable mother. The bible puts it this way in proverb 18:22, who so findeth a wife, findeth a good thing and obtaineth favour of the lord.
This is the prime factor required for building a home. i encourage you therefore to pray and seek to be a wife, not just a woman in the house.
The quality of a happy home is not being married to a poor spouse or to a rich spouse but on the fact that the home is built on PERFECT LOVE regardless of material endowment.
To build a home follows the same structural pattern of building a house, hinged on the three cardinal principles of:
1. LAYING A GOOD FOUNDATION: the foundation of a home being built starts with Luke 6:48. its linked to a spouse who built his house, and dogged deep (conviction of choice) and laid the foundation on a rock( certain of God in choice of a bride) and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon the house( arising strife, disagreement, pains, disappointment etc) and could not shake it. for it was founded upon a rock( not unstable water). the foundation is a combination of different blocks joined together, such as dis factors listed below:
a: the spouse must be matured physically ( serious minded and grave) going into marriage not babies, novices or playboys. the decision to marry must be based on a sure conviction that is beyond all iotas of doubts.
b: emotional maturity: is a key foundation ensuring u can bear all tins including the nonsense. if u cannot take nonsense it means yourself control, anger and passion is in doubt. it may not hold sway when under pressure.
c: God fearing: are u willing to surrender to God’s word at crisis times? like when peter said ” at thy word” if God says forgive… i will forgive no matter how hurt i feel. this is the epitome of humility, self- discipline and respect for each other’s differences
d: same faith: and worship together with same vision, same mission and same purpose, two heads is better
Than one. Eccl4:9
2. RAISING THE HOME TO ROOF LEVEL: is a life time journey dat terminates when ”death do us part” and not parting via divorce or separation. building the home at this stage is a continuous day by day, diligent, steady effort of laying the blocks of:
a: virtue: a home wit character, strength and righteousness.
b : knowledge : be creative, learn frm others through reading marriage books, attend marriage counselling, sear @ the feet of elderly women and
ask questions. Titus2:2-3 and apply such knowledge practically.
c: temperance: conquer yourself, esteem ur partner better than yourself, seek peaceful solution to all unfavorable matters.
d: patience: learn to wait until u achieve desired results. haste is destructive.
e: Godliness: righteousness exalts a nation and family too. jesus in the family happy happy home but satan in the family, trouble trouble home. in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct ur paths.
f: brotherly kindness: be compassionate, be pitiful, be considerate, be caring, be merciful and be flexible. do not be rigid or stiff-necked.
g: communication: the spouse must be expressive not wit critical mind but constructive mind. always positive , never negative. let feelings be expressed, burdens shared is burden halved. when expression is muzzled or stiffened, fear, frustration, lying, lack of of confidence rears up in the home among members of the family of
husband, wife and children.
h: responsible roles: husband and wives should be the best of frnds and confidant. the husband is commanded in Eph5:25 to love his wife, that is,
love her strength, her weaknesses, her mistakes wit careful correction, thru the application of 1Cor 13:1-13. accept her failures,her ugly past, and bad parts and of course her good part is a bonus to home building. the wife is also commanded to treat her husband as the head of state of the home. she should be submissive, (don’t be stingy wit the cookie OK) obedient, reverent and respectful without conditions even when the husband is known to be wrong.
i: industrious: find something to do no matter how little.
j: a very good cook: dis is a very good part and very important too (guys am sure u all knw what am talking abt nah) bcos FOOD is the entrance to a
man’s heart.
k: manager: managing the resources available to u for home keeping without comparing ur home with any other. ur home is unique and by no means is it inferior or superior to any other home.
l: meek and quiet spirit: speak the same language wit ur husband and vice versa especially before the children.
3: THE ROOFING OR THE CAPSTONE; now dat the home is raised to roofing level, the capstone which is charity will be placed accordingly, 2Peter 1:7.
charity or love, the covering for the home is preferably used than any other material in home building bcos it covers a multitude of sins. all mistakes, lapses, errors, pains, failures, misunderstanding, careless talks are not announced outside the confines of the home to the itching ears of in-laws, frnds, parents and family members. rather seek peaceful solution within your comfortable bedrooms. nagging, contentions , or inviting a 3rd party will only escalate matters and make a mountain out of an ant hill.
wow! finish here i come…… A HOME
ENCOMPASSED IN LOVE AND BY LOVE CAN WITHSTAND THE STORMS AND WINDS OF LIFE. Love u future wife, even while am yet to meet u. sooooo touching, romantic and soooo…………………….lolz
Deciding to start a family is not like it used to be. Once upon a time it was marry young, immediately start family, mom stays home raising, baking, and cleaning while dad is working the desk job. Times are much more complicated these days with both parents working and sharing household duties, most of us have established careers or are on a certain path and birth control is the norm (or must). Making that step from just the two of you to family is huge with important issues to discuss and agree upon before trying to make that leap.
Here are 7 issues to discuss with your
partner before ditching the birth control:
1.) Difficulty Conceiving
What if you and your partner are ready and wanting a baby, but you aren’t able to get pregnant? The two of you need to figure out what steps you are each willing to take in order to become parents – fertility treatment, adoption, surrogacy – and agree on them.
2.) Birth
Perhaps you are fantasizing about an all natural, in home birth that might completely freak your partner out or vice versa. Who do you want to be
there when the baby is born? I’m a big believer in the person delivering the baby should decide how she wants to deliver and who she wants in the room, but it’s only fair to discuss your wishes beforehand so you can be on the same page.
3.) How Many Kids
Seems so simple, right? What if you always dreamed of having 3 kids and your partner never wants more than one? Not so simple anymore, so have this talk.
4.) Dividing Parental Duties
This might seem like a no brainer, you are picturing your partner giving bottles and changing diapers. That picture is in your head, unless you discuss, as in say it out loud, your
partner will never know. It’s also not reasonable for one parent to do it all, even if the mom is off on maternity leave and exclusively breast feeding.
There are still diapers to be changed, laundry to be washed and baby to bath and all those other household responsibilities. Discussing who can do what, even making a chart will help with resentment later on (and there will be resentment if one person is doing nearly all the work!)
5.) Challenges Of Pregnancy And Post
Partum
Let’s face it, pregnancy and post delivery are tough emotionally and physically. You’ve got raging hormones, which can make you very
sensitive and seemingly unreasonable, but you ARE reasonable! Your body changes and you feel self conscious about this drastic weight gain, not to mention the all over pains you experience on a daily basis. Basically your body is taken over to create this baby and you don’t get it back after the baby is delivered because now you are the food source and everything is flabby and hangs differently. Yep, it’s true so make sure you and your partner are talking about dealing with these changes. Also, what if you end up on bed rest? Will your partner be able to take over all responsibilities having to do with the house?
6.) Gender Preference
Are you willing to raise a girl if all you ever wanted was a boy? You don’t really get to choose what sex your baby will be so make sure you and the
partner will love and adore whatever the two of you create.
7.) Support System
Who will be there to help after the baby is born? Do you have family living close or coming to visit? Do you both really want a house-guest for the first month (or two, gasp!) of your new life as a family?
This list is really about opening your relationship up to discussing issues that will come up, perhaps not all, but many. If they are not discussed, preferably before it’s actually an issue,
then resentment builds and arguments will follow. So really just see this as relationship building and gearing you both up of for the wild and unexpected ride that parenting is. Since there’s really nothing that can totally prepare you, might as well reduce some arguments!
Chinakschris 