Newsletter & Family Devotion

5 Bible Verses To Heal A Broken Marriage.

Marriage restoration takes effort and time, but God will help you as you involve Him in your marriage.

By Lauren McKeithen

All marriages face problems at some point. In human relationships, we face disagreements and sin. When you’re struggling with a troubled marriage, you wonder where you can find hope. The Bible offers scriptures on restoring broken marriages with the work of the Holy Spirit. When you feel tensions arise, let God speak to your heart through these scriptures.

The most important thing is to care enough to restore a broken marriage. Often, people do nothing because they’re scared of doing the wrong thing. While it’s possible to do something wrong, doing nothing may cause more damage. When trying to restore a broken marriage, don’t hesitate to ask for help if you feel like your marriage is in crisis. It would be best to reach out to a trusted pastor or Christian counselor to start the process of restoring your broken marriage.

Indeed, only God’s grace can redeem deep hurt that sometimes brings us to the point that marriage feels like it’s failing. Here are some scriptures that will help you along the way.

Scriptures on Marriage Restoration

Hebrews 10:24-25, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”

There’s a familiar phrase that goes, “It takes a village,” when raising children. The same is true for solid and Godly marriages. Accountability is vital to a healthy marriage and particularly important when you’re working to restore the broken spaces of your marriage. Your village should include your church family and regular Sunday Worship attendance. Your village could include a small group or professional counselor. The power of meeting together with a counselor to do better at loving one another is unbelievable. When a marriage hits a part of life that knocks the wind out of you, it’s not giving up calling in reinforcements; God honors when we reach out to find wisdom. Don’t be afraid to grow your village. You may have to be vulnerable, but it can make all the difference when fighting to restore your marriage.

 Ephesians 4:32, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

You may not realize this, but marriage requires you to say sorry to the same person to stay connected over a lifetime. The struggle is that those “sorries” become harder to say and harder to accept overtime. Bitterness starts to build up instead of forgiveness. Don’t get discouraged and stop apologizing because you think your words don’t matter. Apologies will always be necessary for a committed relationship.

Another thing to remember is that you have to keep forgiving. Jesus said we forgive endlessly, and He indeed had marriage in mind when He gave that advice. It’s not easy but making a life together means a million apologies and a million times to forgive.

Galatians 6:2, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

To rebuild intimacy in our relationships, offering each other empathetic responses is required. The building blocks of a solid relationship happen in the tiny approaches we make throughout the day. It’s as simple as pausing what you’re doing to hear the concerns of your spouse fully. It’s choosing to smile rather than scowl when things don’t go as planned. It’s also choosing to respond warmly when your spouse gets our attention. A warm tone builds trust; it says that you’re safe to share with, that you’re on the same team, and that you’re willing to try to understand each other’s point of view. Being understanding is essential when you want to restore a broken marriage.

Romans 13:8, “Owe nothing to anyone, except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.”

The Bible teaches that we have one obligation to one another, which is love. When we want to heal the feeling of being unloved by our spouse, it helps to remember that your husband or wife is your closest neighbor. If you’re offering them scraps of your mood, time, and commitment, then you’re not following God’s instruction for your life. If you want to get on the same page as a couple, you’ll have to develop a culture of honest and open communication in the home. Focus on communicating the details of your day, your gratitude for each other, and share your feelings. Communication grows connections which lead to being able to love one another well again.

Colossians 3:12, “Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

If you have lost the connection with your spouse, one way to rebuild what you had is by connecting heart to heart, which means connecting emotionally. To accomplish this, we first need the power of God that gives us tenderness, gentleness, and kindness. While we all aspire to offer our spouses these responses, without the help of Jesus, our selfish and impatient human nature wins out more than we’d like.

Practically living out these traits can look like you are offering a listening ear when your spouse needs to vent. You could also use tenderness when your spouse is facing a situation where they’re struggling to navigate. When you choose to speak, use affirming words that let them know you hear them and see their burdens. Remind them that you’re on their team, and they’re not facing this challenge alone.

When your marriage starts to fall apart, you begin to feel like a failure. You wonder how this happened and feel like nothing can bring your marriage back together. However, restoring a broken marriage is possible with God’s help. These scriptures on marriage restoration can help remind you why you got married in the first place. When you and your spouse got married, you vowed before God to love each other for better or worse. Healing your broken marriage will honor those vows, and with God’s help, your marriage can be restored.

7 Bible Stories For Kids

By Erin Weidemann

The Bible is the living word of God, full of wisdom, with examples of faith that come in all shapes and sizes. The Bible isn’t just for a specific age group though; these stories can be influential for children and adults alike. It is through some of the most iconic Bible stories we learn many important lessons that we can share with our kids. Rooney loves the story of Moses, and we’ve had many sweet opportunities to talk about the parallels between God sending him to deliver His people out of slavery and the coming of Jesus to rescue all people everywhere. She thinks it’s cool that the Bible brought both them both on the scene in special carriers: Moses in the basket and Jesus in the manger.

Want to create fun family moments with easy-to-understand Bible stories for children?

Here are seven to get you started:

1. Daniel and the Lion’s Den

The story of Daniel shows us the promises and faithfulness of God in the midst of trials. Daniel continued to pray to God each day, even though it was outlawed where he lived. This decision ended with a pit of lions and a whole lot of God-given courage. Daniel continued to display his faith, even when everyone else was telling him he was wrong. He prayed for courage that only God can give us and ultimately showed everyone around him how great our God is. To share another story of bravery with your kids, check out Abigail: The Belle of Bravery who calls on the courage of God to boldly face any problem with confidence.

2. Noah’s Ark

This one never gets old. A story about a boat and animals seems like the perfect thing to get our kids’ attention, but the story goes so much deeper. God commanded Noah to gather wood and build a huge ark to gather his family on. In the desert. With no sign or even likelihood of rain. Not only that, but God asked Noah to also bring two of each animal with him so that life could begin again after the flood.

The story of Noah is one of extreme faith and unexplained patience. Noah built a big ark, even though it made absolutely no sense. Though he didn’t understand, he trusted God through each step of the plan. He was patient in the journey, not knowing how the story would end. If you and your children want to read more stories about other heroes in the Bible who displayed faith like Noah, check out Esther: The Belle of Patience as she teaches our daughters how patience is a superpower that helps us wait and trust in God’s perfect timing.

3. Jonah and the Whale

What could grab the attention of kids more than a man who lived inside of a whale? Jonah made a bad decision, doing the opposite of what God asked him to do. The outcome: he was caught in a storm, jumped overboard and was protected in the belly of a whale. He spent that time praying, committing his life to God and His will. Prayer is such an important aspect of our relationship with God and is something we have the opportunity to teach our kiddos about from an early age. To read another story about the incredible power of prayer, Hannah: The Belle of Prayer will help continue this conversation with your kids.

IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START CONNECTING CHILDREN TO THE AMAZING HEROES IN THE BIBLE.

4. David and Goliath

A young boy, not nearly as experienced or strong as his brothers, was able to take down a giant with a slingshot and a single stone. Even though he wasn’t who everyone expected, he boldly stood when an entire army trembled. How often do we bow out because we think others are more qualified? Let’s teach our kids that with God’s help, they can be leaders in the most unexpected ways. Deborah: The Belle of Leadership is a great book to help share this concept of Godly leadership with your kids.

5. Joseph and his Brothers

Joseph wasn’t exactly loved by his brothers; they did everything they could to do him in. They even went so far as selling Joseph when their father gifted him with a special coat. For just about any of us, this would be enough to disown our family members for the rest of our lives. However, through a series of God-orchestrated events, Joseph was able to show real loyalty when he forgave his brothers. To encourage your kids to love others faithfully, Ruth: The Belle of Loyalty is a great book about putting others’ needs above your own.

6. Adam and Eve

This is the story that started it all. Without the story of Creation, the rest of the Bible wouldn’t exist. It is the single moment in history that displayed God’s power more than any other. He simply spoke and the earth, sun, moon, stars, animals, and plants were created. He breathed into the dust and humans were formed. Have fun sharing this story with your children and talking about how a powerful God also cares about even the smallest details.

7. The Good Samaritan

A story of mercy and love. Countless people passed by a man needing help on the side of the road, ignoring the fact that he was even there at all. Finally, the Good Samaritan not only paid attention to the man, but he ended up helping him, nursing him back to health. So often people choose to ignore those who need help, writing them off as “less than” or “unworthy.” But God calls us to do just the opposite. We are to treat those around us with the same love that He shows us. We are to love our neighbors, no matter what.

These seven Bible stories for children are a great way to introduce lessons that are shown again and again throughout the Bible. It’s never too early to start connecting them to the amazing heroes in the Bible that point us back to our great God.