The Tune-Up

In this episode of The Tune-Up, Pastor Marcus Whitman III of Storehouse Church of McComb looks at the roles God gives a husband and a wife inside the covenant of marriage. Ephesians 5:33 puts it in one sentence: husbands are to love their wives, and wives are to respect their husbands.

Pastor Marcus explains why a husband's deepest need is respect and a wife's deepest need is love, how couples get stuck on the "crazy cycle" (without love, she reacts without respect; without respect, he reacts without love), and how to get off it: love that doesn't wait to be earned, and respect that's given freely. He shares two stories from the counselor's office, a bedroom that finally got painted and a key lime pie, and shows how an attitude of gratitude refills the love tank and the respect tank.

Your tune-up this week: keep reading 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in the Amplified with your own name in it, and leave your spouse an attitude-of-gratitude note where they'll see it.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:33 · 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

In this first episode of The Marriage Tune-Up, Pastor Marcus Whitman III of Storehouse Church of McComb starts at the foundation: marriage is a covenant, not a contract. A contract protects my rights and depends on performance. A covenant limits my rights, takes on responsibility, and is built to last a lifetime.

Pastor Marcus walks through Malachi 2, the three marks of a covenant (it lasts a lifetime, it's a complete exchange, and it brings an identity change), and why love is the foundation of it all: "By love, serve one another." He closes with a personal story of standing in agreement with his wife, Paige, during a medical crisis, and the power of a husband and wife in unity.

Your tune-up this week: read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and 1 John 4-5. When you read the love chapter, put your own name in it, not your spouse's.

Scripture: Malachi 2:14-16 · Galatians 5:13 · 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 · 1 John 4-5 · Mark 10:4-9 · Psalm 133 · Romans 15:5-6 · Romans 8:11