Do you feel like your business dominates your life at times? And do you lack the connection you thought working together as a couple would bring? Scripture will guide you into a deeper connection with your spouse when you apply what it says. Over the next 3 days, Larry and Sue Pruett will point you to the way to find a deeper connection with your spouse, even though, and because, you work together.
Larry and Sue Pruett
Day 1
Scripture: Genesis 2:18-23
The One Thing That Was Not Good
I (Larry) almost died in August 2021 from an illness. I was so bad off for a while that I couldn’t even get off the couch. Sue helped tremendously during my recovery by getting me the meds I needed, when I needed them, and nursing me back to health. It would not have been good for me to have been alone during that time.
And it has not been good for men to be alone from the very beginning.
What an amazing scene God lays out for us in Genesis chapter 2! Adam was in a perfect world, before sin, and in direct communion with God, but something was not good. Can you imagine that? But God Himself declared that “It is not good that the man should be alone.”
As Adam looked at the parade of animals that God brought to him to name, one thing became extremely obvious—there was no one for him.
What could Adam do to fill his own need? What could he do to take care of himself? What could he do to make things “very good?” Nothing. What a picture of the gospel! God alone could and did provide a helper for Adam, fulfilling his need for connection—completing him.
God brought Eve to Adam, and Adam said, “WOW!!” (loose paraphrase). God performed the first wedding ceremony, and then everything was very good, perfect. The man and woman completed each other, and they completed God’s amazing creation.
The first couple in human history became the first couple working together. God put Adam in the garden to work it and keep it, and Eve was created to help Adam in his life and work. As a couple working together, you are following the pattern God established from the beginning.
It is not good to be alone—we are made for connection!
Pray this prayer: God, thank you for my spouse. Thank you for bringing him(her) to me to complete me. Help us to connect deeply in our marriage. In Jesus name, amen.
Take action: Think back to the first time when you knew your spouse was the one for you. Take a few minutes together and retell the story to your spouse from your perspective.
Tomorrow we will look at Genesis 2:24 and see what it means to leave, cleave, and weave!
Day 2
Scriptures: Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:25-33
Leave, Cleave, and Weave
When we first got married, Sue was very excited to get home after our honeymoon and start settling into our new apartment. Larry, however, didn’t want to leave the honeymoon! From talking to other couples, this seems very common. Ladies seem to have an instinct to establish their new home after getting married. But, guys? Not so much.
In Genesis 2:24, God encourages a man to leave the home he grew up in and start a new home with his wife. Why the instruction to men and not women? Well, it seems that it’s written like this because women are usually ready to leave and establish their new homes naturally. Guys sometimes need a little encouragement!
So, does this verse mean you can just abandon your parents? No, we see elsewhere in Scripture that we are to honor our parents, even in adulthood. To leave your mother and father simply means to elevate and cherish your marriage above all other earthly relationships. When you get married, that becomes the priority in your life. Your marriage relationship is more important than your previous relationships, more important than your business, more important than anything but God. So, we are to leave.
This verse also encourages a man to hold fast to his wife. Some versions translate this word as to “cleave.” To hold fast or to cleave is a verb—an action word! We need to actively work to be joined together closely and bonded together.
Leaving and cleaving leads to weaving. When God joins a husband and wife together, the two become one. Two distinct, unique individuals come together in marriage and become one flesh—and are stronger together!
Pray this prayer: God, help us make our marriage the top human relationship in our lives. Help us to hold tight to each other, and live as one flesh. In Jesus name, amen.
Take action: Think about any relationships in your life and business that are getting in the way of your marriage relationship. Come up with a plan to get things back into their proper priority.
Tomorrow we will talk about what it looks like to live as one flesh!
Day 3
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
What Does It Look Like to Live as One Flesh?
Our German Shepherd loves to play. His favorite games are tug-of-war and fetch, but the only problem is that he absolutely destroys just about every toy we get for him. But, recently we were excited to find a rope toy that has stood up to his wear and tear! The rope is designed for strength, flexibility, and durability, with three sturdy strands wound tightly together. It is made to withstand the teeth and jaw of a big dog!
Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. When God created Eve and brought her to Adam, He wove them together as one, and the same is true for you and your spouse. So the husband is one strand in this analogy, and the wife is the second. So where does the third strand come from? That is God Himself.
The two of you are woven together by God and with God to be one—one flesh! Together, you are designed for strength, flexibility, and durability, and to withstand anything this world throws at you!
Becoming one flesh means that you live together, dream together, and accomplish great things together. And how do you do this? By connecting at a deep level, with God in the center of your relationship. As each of you grows closer to God individually, you will also grow closer to each other!
Having this Gen224 relationship will help to energize the work you do together 2day, 2morrow, 4ever!
Take action: Sometime today, spend at least 10-15 minutes together in what we call connection time! Connection time is uninterrupted time together, having an intentional discussion. By doing so, you are weaving your hearts together.
A regular, purposeful conversation daily can help you live out Genesis 2:24—2day, 2tomorrow, and 4ever! But, this won’t happen unless you plan and schedule it—make it a priority!