The Abundant Marriage by Focus on the Family

Author:Focus on the Family [Focus on the Family]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL012050, REL012100
ISBN: 9781441227348
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2014-06-25T04:00:00+00:00

God’s Design for Being a Steward of Our Relationships

Philippians 2:3-5 provides us with a great outline for acting as good stewards in our relationships. Let’s take a look at some simple-yet-profound principles.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit” (v. 3).

Paul also used the term “selfish ambition” in Philippians 1:17 to describe the behavior of those who were preaching for the sake of causing him trouble. Selfish ambition, or vain conceit, “stands at the heart of human fallenness, where self-interest and self-aggrandizement at the expense of others primarily dictate values and behaviors.”[2] Selfish ambition treats people like commodities, consuming others for themselves.

8. In which area(s) do you treat your spouse with selfish ambition? (Check all that apply.)

Household chores

Sexual intimacy

Career pursuits

Caring for children

Alone time

Spending money

Paying bills

Leisure time

Control over the TV

Other ____________________________

9. What is one way that you and your spouse can work together this week so that you don’t treat each other with selfish ambition?

“But in humility consider others better than yourselves” (v. 3).

Humility is one of the greatest and most misunderstood Christian virtues. In the Greco-Roman world in which Paul wrote, humility was viewed as a handicap or a weakness. When Jesus showed an understanding of humility different from the common thinking of that time, He was definitely going against the grain, but He didn’t care. Jesus had such confidence in who He was and why He was here on this earth that He did not have to humiliate others in order to make Himself feel superior.

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