You will start tithing by faith—when you have numerous other things you could be doing with the money—or you will not do it at all. Otherwise, the day will come when you are middle-aged and say, “We meant to start tithing.”
Do not put this off, friends. Don’t delay praying together, getting active in church, saving part of your earnings and tithing your income to the Lord through your church.
One more. A real biggie.
5) Newlyweds must not delay praising and encouraging one another until the other one “gets it down perfectly.”
You married an imperfect human being. But so did your mate.
Give thanks to God for each other now, even with the flaws and imperfections. Do it by faith, do it now, do it from love.
Something within the perfectionist resists this. The mind of the idealist resists praising a partner who is still doing some things wrong.
Ladies: Sure, he works hard and pays the bills and keeps the yard looking great…but he still drops his dirty socks on the floor and leaves the toilet seat up. “If I praise him for what he does right, he will mistakenly think I’m overlooking all the things he is not getting right.”
My suggestion: Overlook all the things he is not getting right.
I guarantee you he overlooks some things in you he wishes you would change. Do the same for him.
Encourage the guy!! He needs encouragement, and you are in the best position of anyone on the planet to administer it.
Guys: Sure, your wife works at keeping herself looking great, she’s kind and tender and faithful, she’s working at learning to cook well, and she’s going to make a great mother some day. However…she’s always got her nose in a book, or she watches too much television, or she’s on the phone to her mother every day. “If I praise her as a wonderful wife, won’t she think I’m approving these other things that I don’t like?”
Suggestion: Jettison the perfectionism. You did not marry a perfect person, and neither did she.
She needs encouragement from the one person whom she has trusted like no one else on earth. You can hurt her or you can help her. Get this right, friend!
Learn to love one another and rejoice in each other in spite of those areas you’d like to see changed.
“Rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18). And let the wife rejoice in her young husband.
The “youth” part will vanish all too soon, my friends. Enjoy this while you have it, and establish some great patterns from the start.
You will have the rest of your lives to be glad you started well.
