Covenant Gifts

So today is December 26th. If you are Christian and have expendable income, chances are that you spent yesterday exchanging gifts with friends and family. But today is the day after Christmas and my question is what are you doing with your gift? I'm not talking about a gift that you unwrapped, but the gift of your spouse.

Yes, your spouse and your marriage are gifts that you unwrap daily. Over the course of your marriage, you will tear away the "wrapping paper" until you get to the core gift - a sound marriage. A transparent marriage. A safe marriage. A committed marriage. And to get to that core, you have to make a decision to use your gift every day.

Yep, that's right, every day. The gift of marriage only works if you work at it everyday. You have to put batteries in the relationship and charge them when they start running low. And if I could put the metaphor of the gift down for a moment, you have to study your spouse. You have to know what words and/or actions cause them harm and you have to avoid those minefields. You have to pray over your union. You have to be faithful, loving, passionate, and forgiving EVERY DAY. Believe me... You will have to utilize all of the gifts of the spirit if you are going to honor the gift of marriage.

There are many areas of our lives that we need to recognize as precious gifts. From the gift of life, to the gift of salvation, to the gift of children, and yes, the gift of marriage. All of these are gifts to be unwrapped and enjoyed and appreciated. And just as you would for any present you receive you need to say "thank you" for them. Not a verbal thank you, but a "thank you" that is evident in the way we treat our gifts. Every action in our covenant should say to God "thank You for loving me so much that You made this person just for me." In my opinion, that is a wonderful gift.