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By Dr. James Merritt
4.8
142142 ratings
The podcast currently has 642 episodes available.
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The Cleveland Clinic is ranked the #2 hospital in the world, renowned for cardiology and heart surgery. Imagine going there with a serious heart issue—you’d have brilliant surgeons, skilled nurses, advanced imaging, and the best care available. But the most important part of that hospital isn’t what you see; it’s what you don’t see: the power plant. No matter how great the surgeons or how advanced the equipment, if the power plant fails, nothing can be done. The hospital becomes no more valuable than a cabin in the woods.

Ever wondered the secret to marriages that last 60 years? I heard about an elderly couple celebrating their diamond anniversary who shared their story: On their honeymoon at the Grand Canyon, the wife’s mule stumbled, and she said calmly to the animal, “That’s once.” When it stumbled again, she said, “That’s twice.” The third time, she got off and shot the mule right between the eyes. When her husband asked why, she looked him in the eyes and said, “That’s once”—and they never had another major disagreement! While there’s humor in that story, the truth is that God desires for everyone who gets married to truly live happily ever after. When two people get married, it’s God’s will for that marriage to be a happy union instead of a civil war. He wants every marriage to end in celebration, not separation, enjoying marriage, not enduring it. That’s why God’s Word gives us a marriage example through an old love song: It’s King Solomon’s Song of Songs. In this book, you find the four essential keys to building a marriage that lasts.

I heard a story about a daughter who wrote her dad about marrying someone she met online: “We met on eHarmony, became friends on Facebook, had long chats on WhatsApp. He proposed on Zoom.” Her dad replied, “I suggest you two get married on X, have fun on Tango, buy your kids on Amazon, and, when you get fed up with this new husband, just sell him on eBay.” There are lots of views today on what marriage is, but the one opinion that should really matter is that of the One who invented marriage—Jesus. Even though Jesus was single and never married, He knew more about marriage than any marriage counselor because marriage was His idea. When the Pharisees asked Him about divorce, Jesus didn’t answer their question about how to get out of marriage. Instead, He explained why you should stay in marriage. In one simple but unbelievably strong sentence, Jesus taught that in marriage math, 1 + 1 = 1. In this passage, Jesus outlined the three principles you need to guard what God has established and, in doing so, fulfill His purpose in your life.

What if finding the right person to marry isn’t actually the secret to a happy marriage? Everyone wants a fairy-tale marriage, but it’s a tragedy when fairy tales turn into horror stories because we misplace our expectations. The real problem is this: Every person wanting to get married is looking for the right person, but it will do you no good to find the right person if you are not the right person to be married to. That’s why every marriage should begin with not just a husband and wife, but a godly husband and a godly wife. A marriage made in Heaven begins with a spouse given by Heaven. Learn the three specific things every heavenly-given husband must do for his wife to create a marriage that truly is happily ever after.

If you have truly given your life to Jesus, there is a question you have probably asked more than once: If I am really saved, why do I still sin? The fact that the question bothers you is itself a mark of genuine faith. A person who doesn’t know Jesus wouldn’t be troubled by it. Augustine gave the best answer over 1,600 years ago: “During this earthly pilgrimage our life cannot be free from temptation, for none of us comes to know ourselves except through the experience of temptation, nor can we be crowned until we have come through victorious ….” The battle is real, and the Apostle John knows it. But the fantastic news is that in the end, sin can’t win. Salvation comes in three tenses: We have been saved from the penalty of sin (our past), we are being saved from the power of sin (our present), and one day we will be saved from the very presence of sin (our future). John gives us three truths in 1 John 3:4–10 that show why daily victory over sin is not just a hope but a real and present possibility for every believer.
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