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A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers
on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle
and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and
night. A river exists for others and then vanishes. You can be a Pampa
river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.
P G Vargis
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Leadership note. Grow with me.
And share this with others. Let the world
grow.
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PART I DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)
HEBREWS 3:1; 4:14 NKJ 1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession,
Christ Jesus, 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
HEBREWS 10:23 NKJ 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Your confession is what you say. You should persistently continue
speaking in faith, agreeing with what God has said, regardless of
circumstances. If it never seemed like it was not working, there would be no
need to hold fast, or hang on, to a confession of faith.
Some people are surprised when they act on God's Word and it does not
immediately come to pass. But there is abundant evidence in Scripture showing
that is normal. God never promised that everything would happen instantly. The
time period involved gives us opportunity to walk in faith and please God.
Remember that authority is released through words. When we speak in
DIS-agreement with what God says, we are giving authority in that area of our
lives to our enemy. This is why Scripture tells us to struggle (if necessary)
to keep speaking in agreement with God's Word.
Why does the Bible tell us to "hold fast" -- or you might say
"hang on tight" or "hang on for dear life." Obviously,
something or someone is trying hard to get us to turn loose. Who or what do you
think that is?
SAY THIS: With God's help, I will keep speaking in agreement with the
Word of God, no matter what the circumstances may say.
PART II
When Ashley and I got married 13 years ago,
we were young and in love, but we were also pretty clueless (me especially)!
Along the way, we’ve had so many people share wise advice and life experiences
with us that have helped guide our family through good times and hard times.
Through the years, I’ve been collecting some of the best wisdom others have
shared with us (and some I had to learn through my own mistakes).
If you’ll apply these 25 principles below to
your relationship, it could make a life-changing difference in your marriage!
In no particular order:
1. Choose to love each other even in those
moments when you struggle to like each other. Love is a commitment, not a
feeling.
2. Always answer the phone when your
husband/wife is calling, and when possible, try to keep your phone off when
you’re together with your spouse.
3. Make time together a priority. Budget for
a consistent date night. Time is the “currency of relationships,” so
consistently invest time into your marriage.
4. Surround yourself with friends who will
strengthen your marriage, and remove yourself from people who may tempt you to
compromise your character.
5. Make laughter the soundtrack of your
marriage. Share moments of joy, and even in the hard times, find reasons to
laugh.
6. In every argument, remember that there
won’t be a “winner” and a “loser.” You are partners in everything so you’ll
either win together or lose together. Work together to find a solution.
7. Remember that a strong marriage rarely has
two strong people at the same time. It’s usually a husband and wife taking
turns being strong for each other in the moments when the other feels weak.
(This is one of the many wise nuggets from my amazing wife, Ashley!)
8. Prioritize what happens in the bedroom. It
takes more than sex to build a strong marriage, but it’s nearly impossible to
build a strong marriage without it!
9. Remember that marriage isn’t 50-50,
divorce is 50-50. Marriage has to be 100-100. It’s not splitting everything in
half, but both partners giving everything they’ve got!
10. Give your best to each other, not your
leftovers after you’ve given your best to everyone else.
11. Learn from other people, but don’t feel
the need to compare your life or your marriage to anyone else’s. God’s plan for
your life is masterfully unique!
12. Don’t put your marriage on hold while
you’re raising your kids or else you’ll end up with an empty nest and an empty
marriage.
13. Never keep secrets from each other.
Secrecy is the enemy of intimacy.
14. Never lie to each other. Lies break
trust, and trust is the foundation of a strong marriage.
15. When you’ve made a mistake, admit it and
humbly seek forgiveness. You should be quick to say, “I was wrong. I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.”
16. When your husband/wife breaks your trust,
give them your forgiveness instantly, which will promote healing and create the
opportunity for trust to be rebuilt. You should be quick to say, “I love you. I
forgive you. Let’s move forward.”
17. Be patient with each other. Your spouse
is always more important than your schedule.
18. Model the kind of marriage that will make
your sons want to grow up to be good husbands and your daughters want to grow
up to be good wives.
19. Be your spouse’s biggest encourager, not
his/her biggest critic. Be the one who wipes away their tears, not the one who
causes them.
20. Never talk badly about your spouse to
other people or vent about them online. Protect your spouse at all times and in
all places.
21. Always wear your wedding ring. It will
remind you that you’re always connected to your spouse and it will remind the
rest of the world that you’re off limits!
22. Connect into a community of faith. A good
church can make a world of difference in your marriage and family.
23. Pray together. Every marriage is stronger
with God in the middle of it.
24. When you have to choose between saying
nothing or saying something mean to your spouse, say nothing every time!
25. Never consider divorce as an option.
Remember that a “perfect marriage” is just two imperfect people who refuse to
give up on each other!
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Have a day of growth for the glory of God
p g vargis
www.pgv.com