Recently there has been social media battles between Christians on the topic of homosexuality and if same sex marriage should be permitted, accepted, etc.

I want to respond with a series of truths and finally resources for all to peruse.

Marriage Belongs To God; No one else has power our authority to undo His parameters.

Spiritually, this is not about marriage, it is about confusing believers and non-believers on God's word.

People will begin to do what seems right in their own eyes.

It is difficult as a believer to confront and correct our brothers and sisters in love.  But biblically Christians are called to do so. 

God does not say sit by and watch others fall in sin and love them as they fall.

What would Jesus do?  Well He will turn away those who wish to persecute you when they have sins too.  But even as He gave the woman at the well the opportunity at life abundantly, He called out her lifestyle with men.  She reported to others to "come see a man that knows all about me."

Personally, I try to love everyone like Jesus does.  I will stand on what I believe, and protect what I believe.  I will not condemn others for believing or behaving contrary to what the Bible says.  I will obey the will of God and do what He says to say and do, in love.

Correction in Love is of God, and is permitted.  Judging is God's place.

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In one of the videos we watched on 5/24, the speaker gave an illustration I think was very valuable for all present.  He talked about the smells a person would get if they applied pressure with their foot on a rose or on a skunk.  He mentioned that the smell is already inside of the rose and the skunk, but the pressure applied releases those inner qualities, fragrances.  

What do you smell like when times are hard?  Do you release pleasant aromas that keep people around you when pressure, trials, or hard times arise?  Or are you so smelly that people run and hide from you every time you are experiencing some type of turmoil?

I was thinking about this and I thought about skunks.  If you get to close they spray you, even if you don't know you are too close.  Don't be that spouse.

Instead, focus on the fruit of the spirit.  Read Galatians 5:22, 23.  Ask God to work in you so that you can produce/develop those fruit for others to see.  

In 2008, Garry Brantley said,
     “(Most of our) marriages are intact, and our lives are somewhat well managed. They may not be facing any major relational tension, but the typical rigors and stresses of life's responsibilities leave them somewhat dull of heart, longing for deeper connection and intimacy.
     
     Such growth in intimacy and connection is possible. Marriages are not predestined to devolve into mere social contracts in which a husband and wife simply fulfill roles and responsibilities while passion and romance become inevitable casualties. A basic understanding of God, and how He created humans, will help develop deeper intimacy in marriage.

     When we learn that God, who is love, created humans to exist in intimate relationship with Him and one another, we are in a better position to develop our relationships. By allowing God, the ultimate and infinite source of authentic love, to flow through us, we find ourselves loving each other in divine ways. We begin to experience marriage more as a "sacred dance" than a human contract.”

     I am working on a list of practical activities that will help married couples move their relationship towards a thriving summer.  I will post this list later.  
     Many couples find complacency in Fall and Spring.  They are just surviving in their marriage.  Everything is about a day-to-day routine, equal performance and responsibilities, priorities seldom include regularly scheduled marriage maintenance activities.  Kids sometimes supersede the marriage as well as work or even church ministries.