OUR DAILY BREAD             Tuesday, February 14, 1995
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READ:  Ephesians 5:22-33

                 REALISM AND ROMANCE

  "Husbands, love your wives...Let the wife see that
              she respects her husband."

                               - Ephesians 5:25, 33

Good marriages have a balance.  The practical realities
of daily living are enhanced by the joy and spontaneity
of continually falling in love with each other.

Realism can help a husband to see that he is taking his
wife for granted and is not being sensitive to her feelings.
It can cause a wife to see that her critical comments are
tearing down her husband's self-respect.

Realism is not enough, however.  Romance, often discarded
after the wedding, keeps marriage from growing dull.  It
can prevent the kind of situation depicted in the cartoon
of an elderly couple sitting on the front porch of their
home.  The husband is saying, "Sometimes, Sarah, when I
think of how much you mean to me, I can hardly keep from
telling you so."

Paul's words in Ephesians 5 encourage a love between two
people that reflects Christ's self-sacrificing devotion
to His church. In addition, it's a love filled with
kindness and tenderness.

Whether you're dating or have been married half a year or
half a century, Christ can help you balance your relationship
with realism and romance.  Keep drawing on His love and see
what it does for your marriage.

                                --  Dennis J. De Haan

        Despite the faults that partners have,
           Their marriage still can thrive;
          But both must look to God for help
               To keep their love alive.

                                --  J. David Branon


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          THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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The bonds of matrimony aren't worth much
     unless the interest is kept up.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 31-33

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Our Daily Bread,  Copyright 1995,  used  by permission of
Radio Bible Class, Grand  Rapids,  Michigan  49555,  USA.
Written permission  must  be  obtained  from  RBC for any
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This copy  redistributed by Larry Holder (larryh@utm.edu)
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Redistribution is only to individuals and lists that have
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with the policy of Radio Bible Class.
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