20 GODLY RULES FOR GODLY MEN

1.       Never raise your voice for any reason to your wife. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” (Prov 15v1)

2.       Don’t expose your wife's weaknesses to your family and friends. It will bounce back at you. You are each other's keeper. “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” (Eph 5v12)

3.       Never use attitudes and moods to communicate to your wife, you never know how she will interpret them. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” (Prov 15v13)

4.       Never compare your wife to other women; you've no idea what their life is all about. If you attack her Ego, her love for you will diminish. 2Co 10:12 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

5.      Never ill treat your wife's friends because you don't like them, the person who's supposed to get rid of them is your wife.

6.       Never pretend to be sick for the purpose of denying your wife sex. You must give it to her how she wants it. 1Co 7:5 “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”

7.      Never compare your wife to your one time sex mate in bedroom, or an Ex-lover.

8.        Never shout at your wife in front of children. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” (Eph 4v31)

9.       Your parents or family or friends do not have the final say in your marriage. Don't waste your time looking up to them for a final word. You must Leave if you want to Cleave. “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.” (Luke 21v16)

10.   Don't forget that wives want attention and good listeners, never be too busy for her. Good communication is the bed rock of every happy home.

11.   Don't be too judgemental to your wife. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Eph 4v29)

12.   Don't associate with men who have a wrong mental attitude about marriage.

13.   Your marriage is as valuable to you as the value that you give it. Recklessness is unacceptable. Heb 13:4 “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Heb 13:4)

14.  Love your children and   teach them well in the way of the Lord. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov 22:6)

15.   You are never too old to influence your home. Never reduce your care for your family for any reason.

16.   Pray always for your wife and family. “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess 5v17)

17.   Never share your wife’s love or affection with anybody.  

18.   Be gentle and accommodating. “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” Eph 4:2.

19.  Never hide anything from your wife.

20.  Do not make negative comments about your wife’s body. She risked her life and beauty to carry your babies. “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Prov. 18:22.)

10 WAYS TO LOVE

1.      Listen without interrupting. James 1:19 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”

2.      Speak without accusing. “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” James 1:19)

3.      Give without sparing. “He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.” Prov 21:26)

4.      Pray without ceasing. “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thess 5:17.)

5.      Share without pretending. Act 2:44 “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”

6.      Enjoy without complain. “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:” (Philippians 2:14)

7.      Trust without wavering. 1Co 13:4&6 “Charity… believeth all things...”

8.      Forgive without punishing. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Col 3:13)

9.      Promise without forgetting. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Prov 13:12).

10.  Do good without expecting anything in return. Gal 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

DON'T CLAIM RIGHT, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!

There were two houses standing next to each other. In one of them resided a very unhappy family. The spouses yelled at each other, they fought and quarrelled all the time. The other was a place of happiness and calm.  During one of the fights a wife asked her husband: “Did you ever hear them quarrel or yell over at that house? No! So, go there and see what they do to avoid it!” The husband stood at the window of his neighbours and watched. There they were busy doing their own thing. The wife was in the kitchen cooking, and the man sat at the table writing. The phone rang, and the man jumped up and headed to the hallway to get it. On his way he bumped into a vase, it fell and broke. He got down to his knees and started picking up the pieces. The wife ran into the room from the kitchen. She also knelt down and started helping her husband to pick them up. The man said to his wife: “I am so sorry. I rushed to get the phone and bumped into the vase. It fell and got broken.” The wife replied: “No, honey, it is my fault. I put it there on the way. That’s why you bumped into it.” They kissed, and that was over. Both got back to what they were doing. The man who watched them returned to his wife. She wanted to know what the secret of their happiness was.  What he said was fantastic: “I know it now. In their family they both are guilty and in our family both of us are always right!” That’s the secret of family happiness! Food for thought. The "trick" isn't in not wanting to take responsibility, but rather in not claiming right. There are times you need to forfeit your right to win your peace: depends on which you cherish most.