1 Timothy 6:11-12 – “…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…”
The Bible frames salvation in three tenses: past, present, and future. We have been saved, we’re being saved, and we shall be saved. We best understand this framework in the covenant of marriage. We have made wedding vows, we’re working out those wedding vows, and by God’s grace we’ll fulfill those vows till death do us part.
The Gottman Institute has done a ton of research into what makes a successful marriage successful and it has led them to three principles of success. The first principle is that couples need to continually pursue curiosity of one another. When couples make an intentional effort to ask open-ended questions for understanding it makes the other feel cared for. The second principle was gratitude. When couples focus on the good the other does, and then verbalizes their appreciation, admiration, and security grows. The final major principle they found to successful marriages was an intentional effort to respond positively to a spouse’s bid for emotional connection as opposed to ignoring or belittling those bids for connection.
When it comes to your relationship with God, are you continually pursuing the understanding of God’s heart and how to make Him feel cared for? Are you rejoicing continually in His blessings and promises? Are you daily fighting to be attentive to God’s bids for emotional connection?
Heavenly Father, thank you for pursuing a relationship with me. Help the desire of my heart to be a life that pursues after you in return. Amen.