Marriage Anchors

Tom wept in my office last night.

Marita, Tom's new wife of less than a year, lives six states away. There are some road blocks hindering them from being together.  They are on two different sheets of music when it comes to understanding roles in the marital relationship and submitting unconditionally to the Lord Jesus and His inspired Word, the Bible.

Tom and Marita are in crisis.

There is no peace in their relationship.

No peace and surrender in their fellowship with the Lord Jesus, means there will be no peace and oneness in their marriage.

This morning, I was stumbling through the Psalms when a certain passage that I had highlighted months ago caught my eye.  "Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble."    Psalm 119:165  (NIV)

I believe the main crisis in Tom and Marita's lives is that neither of them loves God's Word nor consequently God Himself. They both profess to be believers and followers of Christ, yet, there is an utter absence of peace.  Where is their unity, tenderness, and oneness? It is washed down the gutter of self-centeredness.

They each want God to meet their needs. Who doesn't? Do they not realize that if they are truly saved children of God, they belong to Him? He is a good Father to them meeting every legitimate need they will ever have. Do they understand their chief aim is to glorify Him, love Him, serve Him, and depend on Him?

They each want God and consequently the other to revolve around their respective life, their expectations, and their world.

They want God and mate to serve them...to be in orbit around them!

They do not long for one another because they do not long for Jesus. They do not seek Him, thirst for Him, or pour over His Word, the Bible. They love the things the world has to offer more than sacrificing their lives for their great Friend Jesus.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."  John 15:13  (NIV)

There is a great difference between knowing the Truth and loving the Truth.

"Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established that
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

Blaise Pascal (1623—1662)

French Philosopher, Mathematician, and Scientist

They say they know Jesus, but do they love Him? The devil knows the Word of God, but he will never love it!

Tom is not grateful for Marita because Tom is not grateful for his Savior. It is quite probable that Tom has taken his eyes off of his First Love, Jesus, the Provider, and has mistakenly lowered them onto Marita, Jesus' Provision for him.

This is a Christian Marriage's disastrous mistake! It is also the devil's plan.

Once Tom takes his eyes off of his Lord Jesus, he soon forgets that it is Jesus who gave him Marita.  In time, she will not measure up to Tom's needs or wants. He will slowly and subtly begin to reject her and, if not repented from, begin to hunt for another.

Remedy? Focus on the Provider; not on the Provision.

She is God's custom designed gift for him just as Eve was "just right" for Adam. The reason in Genesis Chapter 2 that Adam did not reject Eve when God presented her to him was because he trusted the character and integrity of His Provider. Otherwise, instead of stating excitedly:

"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh"  Genesis 2:23a  (NIV),

Adam might have said, "Ya know, God, she's not bad...but...do ya have something back in the stockroom that is, say, a redhead, a little thinner, and a wee bit less moody?"

I do not want to throw stones at anyone.

If anyone deserves to be stoned for falling short of God's perfection, it would be me!  In fact, I would make a good poster child for Romans 3:23:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Instead of pointing out where people are failing, Barbara and I want to help couples fall in love with the Lord Jesus, live by faith according to His Word, and experience joy, hope, and oneness. We want to help them become Gospel Lights who will shine Christ's love and truth to a world steeped in darkness. Only God can accomplish this. We cannot. We want to help them to enter into:

"The Selfless Life."

What we will be challenging Tom and Marita to do is first, embrace Matthew 6:33.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

The litmus paper test of whether or not they are serious about this is:

Do they have teachable, grateful hearts? Do they desire to bless their mate more than having their mate bless them? 

If not, they are not filled with the Holy Spirit. They are filled with self.

Next we will try to help them learn to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-filled.html

Finally, we will be helping them to humbly embrace Ephesians 5:21:

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."   and, of course, the verses in the rest of this chapter that so clearly flesh out what this "submitting" looks like.

Submission is a military term that means "to voluntarily come under the authority of". In essence, I believe it means for each person in the marriage to "reverently and respectfully look out for the best interests of the other person." The wife does not do this because the husband deserves it. Heavens no! The wife does this out of what?

She does it out of reverence for Christ.

She must remember Romans 5:8 that while she was yet a sinner deserving of Hell, Christ died for her, took the Hell sentence for her, and gave her forgiveness, His perfect righteousness, new life, and Heaven instead. Do you see it now? She is to give her husband Heaven knowing he deserves Hell the same way Jesus gave and gives continually Heaven and grace to her instead of the "other". She is to go out of her way to affirm him and defer to him. She is to believe in him.

The same applies for the husband and how he is to prize, treasure, and lead his wife: Heaven given when Hell is deserved. This is the only way a couple can experience peace in their marriage. When a couple decides to love the Lord, forsake self, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and submit to one another of of reverence for Jesus, oneness is achieved. Then life gets rather exciting even in light of the expected increase in spiritual warfare.  (See Ephesians 6:10-18)

Why?

Because when one of God's married couples has eternity in their sites and Jesus at the helm, souls will be drawn to them. And when souls are drawn to them, they will catch a glimpse of the One who is "the way and the truth and the life." (See John 14:6)

Look closely below... What do you see between the 2 lines?

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If you are like me, you see a small black dot. Right? When Jesus sees you, His beloved, He does not focus or dwell on your black spot(s): Where you fail, mess up, or struggle with imperfection.  NO!

Because of His loving Grace, He focuses on the white space: Where you are winning, hoping, and trying to live honorably and pleasingly before Him. He knows you mess up and stumble at times. He knows you are weak, have wounds, personality quirks, and sin bents. He knows and He understands. He loves you and will help you.  (Read Isaiah 41:10) Quite frankly, He does not even see your black spot or spots. He wants you to confess sin and failure because he wants the best for you and wants unhindered, unbroken sweet fellowship with you.

Suggestion? As Jesus graces, affirms, and believes in you, do likewise with your mate.

Focus on where he is winning, even partially winning. Don't focus on her shortcomings or where she let you down. You love him. Let God change her. You build him up. Thank God for her!

Jesus was and is selfless. When a couple's passion is Jesus and His Word, they gradually become more and more selfless. They will want to serve and support each other. They will look out for each other. They won't want to be apart from each other. Other people will see this. At the grocery store, the ball game, at work, and at church, others will see Jesus being represented in this humble, teachable, selfless couple. Others will want what this couple has.  Eternal life, joy...and great peace.

 *****

May God bless you as you learn to love, follow, and obey the Lord Jesus!

Sincerely,

Jim & Barbara Grunseth, Cru

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Jim’s iphone & Text: 262-745-4160

Jim's Email:   Jim.Grunseth@Cru.Org

Jim and Barbara’s free Ministry Website:

www.marriageanchors.com

Please consider partnering with us financially if God leads:

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Our Cru donor account number is #0139150

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Our Passion:

To help marriages, families, and individuals find lasting hope and a future in the Lord Jesus Christ.                     Jeremiah 29:11-14,      Deuteronomy 31:8

Our Prayer:

For God to raise up Hearts and Homes to be Gospel Lights to the Nations!
Matthew 5:14

I Do. 

"I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels."    Isaiah 61:10

GRATITUDE!

He is risen but much of the world does not know or embrace this!

We are facing very challenging times. There is trouble in the land.

God's holy, sacred, and ordained institution, marriage, is under direct broadside assault. Perversion is the darling of our culture. Evil is good. Good is evil.

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is being attacked and watered down by many. Churches by the droves are faltering and adopting a social justice, human flourishing, humanistic approach to the Christian faith. This is the end times apostate church: Looks good. Smells good. Does good things. But it is evil and deceptive!

These well apostate leaders are Ambassadors of Hell.

This should not surprise us. The devil wants to destroy marriage, family, missions, and the local church. These are God's hallowed instruments that he uses to pass on a godly heritage and win, build, and send souls into the world for the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The devil does not want Hell robbed of souls soon to be going there.  He doesn't want Heaven filled. He wants lost souls to remain lost forever.

The devil also knows that there is no greater tool in God's plan to win lost souls, mend or prepare them, and then send them out to reach others for Christ than His ministering agent: MARRIAGE.   Chuck Swindoll says, “Home is where life makes up its mind.”

With all the political and moral turmoil, godless arrogance, and nonsense that we see via our national media and offices of political power, Barbara and I are focusing on just a few things:

• This Easter Week we are focusing on Jesus and His Word. Consider this: Read out loud together sections of the Bible's Easter story each day this week. Discuss it. Then pray together out loud. We actually pray each night in the bed at bedtime. We pray out loud and we either cuddle or hold hands. We call it "Cuddle Praying".

• Because the Spiritual Warfare has been intense lately, Barbara and I are focusing on our marriage, not letting anything including family and ministry get in between us.  What's best for your marriage will be best for your children, your work, your in-laws, and your church.

• Finally, we want to focus on and thank God for you and we want to pray for you specifically by name. Please e mail us your chief, confidential prayer requests to  jgrunseth@centurylink.net

• We'd be honored to email you all of our free biblical materials anywhere in the world for you to use, share, copy, translate, and publish at no cost to you. We want to give our lives away for the Lord Jesus! We want to advance toe Gospel.   jgrunseth@centurylink.net

Barbara and I ask the Lord to bless and encourage you this Easter.

Have a peaceful, blessed time focusing on Jesus. Let your heart not be troubled. He has overcome the world!    John 16:33

He is Risen!

• Would you like to know for sure that you are saved from your sin, have eternal life, and will be in Heaven someday?  Go to:  https://marriageanchors.com/2012/05/18/your-anchor-dont-leave-port-without-him/

• Further insight: http://carlsonreport.com/articles/the-church-today/165-post-christian-america-and-the-great-apostasy.html

• Read: http://christinprophecy.org/articles/apostasy-in-the-church/

• False teachers:  https://www.the-highway.com/keller-false-gospel_Williams.html

• The danger of The Gospel Coalition:   https://fortheloveofhistruth.com/2013/09/24/the-gospel-coalition-the-new-calvinisms-attack-on-the-bible-and-its-epistemology/

Jim & Barbara

Note: By God's grace, we have sent our free biblical materials in PDF format via email all over the world to 175 destinations in roughly 50 countries. We give all permission to print, translate, share, and publish...all free. The recipients are mostly small local churches in the 10/40 window. We also send our children's books to orphanages. Please visit our website: marriageanchors.com

Online giving to our ministry: https://give.cru.org/give/View/0139150
Our CCC donor account number is #0139150

Our Prayer:

For God to raise up Hearts and Homes to be Gospel Lights to the Nations!      Matthew 5:14

There is always hope with God.

I watched our President place his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Bible.

The Presidential Inauguration and the taking of the Oath of the Office of the President of the United States are supposed to be grand, momentous, and historic occasions for all who call themselves Americans. History is being made. Unfortunately, some of the President’s words revealed a disregard for the God of this fine nation and for the millions who love and honor Him and His Holy Word, the Bible.

I was surprised when the President correlated the struggle of the homosexual movement with the Civil Rights Movement. These two struggles could not be more different.

In the Civil Rights Movement, people of color courageously struggled to achieve rightful equality in all areas of life. This is pleasing and honoring to God and His Bible. All are created equal.

In the homosexual movement, people that are struggling greatly with strong tendencies toward same gender sexual perversion are trying to convince themselves and others that their behavior is acceptable, good, and not sin.

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 

     I Corinthians 6:9-10                                        

If we truly trust in the God of the Bible, it follows that we ought to honor Him and His Word. Right?

What do you think people would say if the President had stated that the struggle of unrepentant, greedy, drunk, adulterers was similar to the cause of the Civil Rights Movement? These practices against Almighty God are equally offensive as the unrepentant, homosexual offender lifestyle.

The Bible, God's Holy Word, says,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”   Mark 12:30

I challenge our governmental leaders to decide to not just ‘trust in God’, but back that up with a decision to honor Him and His Word as well.

Maybe they should memorize I Samuel 2:30(b) which says,

”But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.” 

Before our President placed his hand on those two Bibles, perhaps he should have read what Abraham Lincoln once wrote,

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God."

       Abraham Lincoln 1863  (From Church and State in the United  States, New York: Harper and Brothers, 1950.)

Rather than attempting to diminish our God given freedoms and righteous standards, our President and all other Americans should heed what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said a number of years ago:

 "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."

Question: Who determines what is evil and what is not: God Almighty or man?

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html#DKRfmriXoU0Mr7S8.99

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Let us remember to pray for our leaders and our great nation! Barbara and I welcome your comments.

If you are not absolutely sure of your eternal destiny…if you are concerned about your relationship with your Creator, the Living God of the universe, then check out:

https://marriageanchors.com/2012/05/18/your-anchor-dont-leave-port-without-him/

“If you truly love your Saviour, and would honour Him, then “hate evil.’” Charles Spurgeon Devotional June 7th.

***

Note: Some of the above content is taken from our book Embracing the Truth: Understanding the Eight Keys to Christian Living. To preview and order go to:

http://www.campuscrusadeministrynews.com/embracing-the-truth.html

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Hear are our other materials.

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Or call: 1(800) 827-2788 for any ofthem.

Biblical Counselors with CRU

Rev. Jim & Barbara Grunseth
W4760 Steeple Chase Way
Elkhorn,WI 53121

Online giving to our ministry and our Bio: https://give.ccci.org/give/View/0139150
Our CCC donor account number is #0139150

Jim E-Mail: jgrunseth@centurylink.net
Barbara’s E-Mail: rberrybarb@centurylink.net
Ministry Site: marriageanchors.com
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/1jgrunseth9

Office: 262-642-5092
Jim’s Cell/Text: 262-745-4160

© by Cru 2012

To grow in your relationship with the Lord Jesus, check these out:

http://www.everyperson.com

www.everystudent.com

www.startingwithgod.com

http://wayofthemaster.com/

http://excellentorpraiseworthy.org/

http://www.faithdeployed.com/

www.needgod.com

Crown Financial Ministries: http://www.crown.org

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God."

Abraham Lincoln 1863
From Church and State in the United States
New York: Harper and Brothers, 1950.

Lincoln's words ring loud and clear. We have forgotten God. Because of this, as the Apostle Paul declares, we have exchanged the truth of God for the lies of the devil.

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie..."

Romans 1:25

According to Carl Zimmerman’s research in his book, Family and Civilization, eight specific patterns of domestic behavior have signaled the downward spiral and imminent demise of every culture:

1.  Marriage lost its sacredness; it was frequently broken by divorce.

2. Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony was lost. Alternate forms and definitions of marriage arose, and traditional marriage vows were replaced by individual marriage contracts.

3. Feminist movements appeared, and women lost interest in child bearing and
mothering, preferring to pursue power and influence.

4. Public disrespect for parents and authority in general increased.

5. Juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion accelerated.

6. People with traditional marriages refused to accept family responsibilities.

7. Desire for and acceptance of adultery grew.

8. Increased tolerance for sexual perversions of all kinds, particularly
homosexuality, with a resultant increase in sex-related crimes.1

1 Family and Civilization: Carle Clark Zimmerman; edited by James Kurth; 2nd ed., rev. and abridged. Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2007.
 

In light of the moral condition our country is in, read the following:

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common  enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when they lose their virtue they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader ... If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security."

Samuel Adams
Father of the American Revolution, instigator of
the Boston Tea Party, signer of the Declaration of Independence, member of Congress

I wonder what Samuel Adams and Abraham Lincoln would think and say now?

Where do you think we are as a nation on the ever worsening scale of 1 through 8 from above?

We believe we are in the final stages.

If we, as a people, do not turn back to God from sin and self focus, beg His forgiveness, and, once again, embrace the truth of Holy Scripture, our nation, our communities, our churches, and our families will sink into the mire of tolerance, mediocrity, and compromise. As biblical counselors, we know many marriages and families are falling apart. It does not matter who the couple is or what faith they say they follow. Disintegration of the family unit and a falling away from reverence for God are directly related. Few people look to God's inerrant, inspired Holy Word, the Bible, as authoritative for all areas of life.

Chuck Swindoll said, “It is at home where life makes up its mind .”

Our nation is in crisis! People today are hurting and wounded in their personal lives. Many have simply lost hope. Many are living in sin and refusing to acknowledge their iniquity before Almighty God. They know they are in sin. They just don’t care! We live in an increasingly pagan land where barbaric values are replacing the godly, humble virtues that forged our country.

Here is the great danger.

When a nation rejects God's truth, whoever is in power determines what is right. The ruling philosophy becomes:

Might determines Right.

This is what happened in Nazi Germany. Since Hitler had rejected God and had the power, he determined what was right. Millions lost their lives as a result! Roughly only 1 in 7 pastors refused to pay the required homage to Hitler and His 3rd Reich. They suffered dearly. Many were imprisoned and died from the harsh treatment.

America, as a nation, has rejected God. Politics has become a power struggle. The victor determines who and what is right. The victor also determines who and what is wrong. Money and image have become false gods. Christians who seek the truth found only in God's Word must embrace it, love it, and stand up for it. If we don't, who will? We have been lied to and many of us are in bondage to these lies.

"Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

Blaise Pascal (1623—1662)    French Philosopher, Mathematician, Scientist, and Christian
                                                                                                                                      

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2Chronicles 7:14

The aging grandfather looked to his beloved granddaughter and asked her, "Do you believe that darkness will come into your life?" She thought for a moment and then said, "Yes, Grandfather."

Then he looked deep into her eyes with a caring, steadfast love from God and asked, "And what if the darkness prevails?" The sadness on her face was slowly replaced by a smile of growing proportions. She took a deep breath, looked into his eyes, and said with resolve:

"Then I will light a candle!"

When we choose to dwell in the darkness, we snuff out a lot of candles. Instead, Barbara and I want to light as many candles for the Lord as we can. We want to cheer the hopeless, encourage the crushed in spirit, and bring comfort, joy, and light to those still swallowed in darkness. This is our prayer!

We want to introduce as many people to Jesus, our Lord and Savior, as we can. We want to prevent souls from going to Hell and, instead, help them go to Heaven someday.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Edmund Burke, 1729-1797, Irish political philosopher, Whig politician and statesman who is often regarded as the father of modern conservatism.

America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Both were fought for. Both must be fought for again, not with bullets, but with moral courage and conviction. These must be rooted in the eternal Word of God, the Bible.

We must ask God to help us become men and women of courage.

Courage enough to face ridicule, loss, threats, and marginalization. Courage enough to stand up for the honor of God and country, and for marriage and the family. Courage to defend our Constitution against enemies both foreign and domestic. Courage to stand against the quickening currents of tolerance, disrespect toward Christian convictions, and celebrated gross immorality. Courage to pray humbly to Almighty God, the One who blessed this nation into being.

“Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.” 

Maya Angelou, American Poet and Pulitzer Prize Winner.

Let us pray for courage.

Then let's stand and be courageous for the Lord and this blessed land.

If you are not absolutely sure of your eternal destiny…if you are concerned about your relationship with your Creator, the Living God of the universe, then check out:

https://marriageanchors.com/2012/05/18/your-anchor-dont-leave-port-without-him/

"If you truly love your Saviour, and would honour Him, then "hate evil.'"          Charles Spurgeon Devotional June 7th.

                                                                                                                      ***

Biblical Counselors with CRU

Jim & Barbara Grunseth
W4760 Steeple Chase Way
Elkhorn, WI 53121

Online giving to our ministry and our Bio: https://give.cru.org/0139150
Our CCC donor account number is #0139150

Jim E-Mail: Jim.Grunseth@Cru.Org

Ministry Site: www.marriageanchors.com      All Free!

© by Cru 2012                                                                                             

To grow in your relationship with the Lord Jesus, check these out:
http://www.everyperson.com

www.everystudent.com

www.startingwithgod.com

http://wayofthemaster.com/

http://excellentorpraiseworthy.org/

http://www.faithdeployed.com/

www.needgod.com

Crown Financial Ministries: http://www.crown.org

       In 1762 Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778) wrote the beloved hymn "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me". He had recently been ordained as the Priest or Curate of Blagdon Parish, England. Evidently, one day he was caught in a horrific storm with thunder, lightening, and torrential rain. Since he was near high cliffs, he found shelter in a small cave or cleft in the rock. It was here he received his inspiration to write this wonderful hymn.

       Like you, I struggle in life. I am often lured by tempting bait. The song of the sirens woos my ship toward the rocks of disaster. There is no sense in trying to cover the truth. I am weak. The Apostle Paul once said that he was Chief of Sinners (1Timothy1:15-16). Well if that is true then I am on the Short List!

       As I follow Jesus, I find I have a choice. Since I am profoundly weak, I can choose this hour to either be foolish in my weakness or wise in my weakness. Dear friend, for me this is not as easy as it seems!

       As my mind often drifts through the day, I find myself wanting that God, my Heavenly Father, would revolve around me, my prayers, my dreams, and my desires. After all, I say that I love Him and want to bring Him honor. Right?

       This is where I can easily deceive myself. As I seek the Lord Jesus, I discover that my desperate need is not for Him to bless and comfort me and address all my needs. Rather, in the simplest of terms, my desperate need is for Him and Him alone.

       When I choose to fully realize my bankrupt condition of my spirit before my holy, matchless, and eternal God, then and only then can I gaze upon my Savior. Only when I allow Him to break me completely will I know what absolute surrender is.  

       There are four stanzas to “Rock of Ages, Cleft for me.”  Note carefully the third:                        

       3. Nothing in my hand I bring,

           Simply to Thy cross I cling;

           Naked, come to Thee for dress;

           Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

           Foul, I to the fountain fly,--

           Wash me, Savior, or I die!

         Please carefully look at this 1900’s post card. What do you see? Do you see the storm? Or do you see His Cross? Do you see her circumstances? Or are you beginning to see her Savior. Look. She is not only clinging to the Cross of Jesus but her eyes are on Him.

       Let me invite you right now, this moment, to take a deep breath and slow down your pace. Drop all of your dreams and your hopes at the foot of His Cross. Dump all of your sin, your failure, and your disappointments as well. Join me. Let us run to His Cross. Let us cling to it. In so doing, we look up into the kind and assuring face of Jesus, the Great Redeemer of our souls and the Good Shepherd of our hearts. It is here we are invited to stay. It is here we must stay.

       Dear friend, be encouraged and strengthened this hour! May the Word of God capture you and define you. Then may He shine through you to those who need Him.

‘Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”’   (NLT)

The Apostle Paul said, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”  (NIV)

Again Paul said, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”  (NLT)

Paul stated, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (NLT)

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”    (NIV)

He also promised, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”   (NLT)

King David wrote, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”   (NIV)

David also wrote from the depths of his heart, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” (KJV)

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If my wife Barbara and I can help you and encourage you, please contact us at:

Office: 262-642-5092 or Jim’s Cell: 262-745-4160

jgrunseth@centurylink.net

Click to get our newest free E Book: 7 Glues for your Engagement & Marriage: http://www.cruresources.com/3/post/2012/07/marriage-mentors-and-authors-say-there-are-7-glues-that-help-hold-relationships-together.html

Click to get our free Marriage Anchors E Book:    http://www.campuscrusade.com/promos/MarriageAnchors.html

Click to get our free Rekindling Your Faith E Book: http://www.campuscrusade.com/promos/RekindlingYourFaith.html

If you are not sure if your sins are fully forgiven or you are fearful of your eternal destiny, click here:

https://marriageanchors.com/2012/05/18/your-anchor-dont-leave-port-without-him/

Also please visit our website at:  marriageanchors.com

God bless you,

Jim (& Barbara) Grunseth

CRU 

Have you once and for all settled the question, do you belong to God?  Are you going to Heaven?  Are you a child of God? Is Jesus Christ really your personal Lord, Savior, and Master? Who is your anchor in life? When all else fails you, will your anchor also fail you?  When others betray and lie to you, will your anchor do likewise? Consider the following questions in light of what the Bible says: