Best Marriage Ever
Main Idea:
Marriage is a covenant and not a contract. It is a permanent relationship with no end date. No matter how tough things might become, divorce should not an option.
Key Questions: Main Passage Galatians 6:7-9
• What’s one idea from the message that really stood out to you? Why did this idea grab your attention?
• Examine your marriage. What and where are you sowing in your marriage currently? Are you pleased with your harvest or do you need to make some changes?
• What are some specific things you’ve learned from this series that you are going to do to ensure that you and your spouse never give up in your marriage?
Optional Questions: If needed, include one or more of these scriptures and questions to extend your conversation.
Matthew 19:1-12
• Do you tend to be more selfish or selfless with your spouse? Explain.
• Describe a time when you encountered a tough time in your marriage? How did you get through it and how did that experience affect your marriage?
• How have you seen divorce affect your family or the families of those you know?
Next Steps:
• What’s one thing you will do this week as a result of something you learned from this message?
Talk It Fight Fair
Who do you think is the biggest cheater in professional sports? Pete Rose, Tom Brady, Ben Johnson, Lance Armstrong, Tonya Harding or someone else? Why do you think they thought it was worth it?
• What’s one idea from the message that really stood out to you? Why did this idea grab your attention?
• Do a reality check: How would you evaluate the way you and your spouse fight? Do you typically fight fair or unfair? Explain.
• Clint said the keys to fighting fair are found in James 1:19, which says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” In which of these three ways do you and your spouse do well when you fight and which do you not?
Optional Questions: If needed, include one or more of these scriptures and questions to extend your conversation.
• Read and discuss James 1:19-20, Proverbs 18:2, Proverbs 21:23, and Ephesians 4:26-27.
• How did your parents handle conflict in their marriage? How has that shaped the way you handle conflict in your own marriage?
• Recall your first fight or one of your early fights as a couple. How has the way you fight changed throughout your marriage?
• What steps can you take to become a better listener in your marriage? If you are a good listener, how has that affected the way you fight with your spouse?
Next Steps:
• What’s one thing you will do this week as a result of something you learned from this message?
Daily Bible readings
Day 1: Proverbs 18:1-13
Day 2: James 3:1-12
Day 3: James 1:19-27
Day 4: Ephesians 5:21-33
Day 5: Ephesians 4:25-32
Day 6: Romans 12:9-21
Day 7: Matthew 18:21-35
Take steps to fight fair with your spouse this week by reading and talking over the following Bible passages.
Best Marriage Ever
“Having a great marriage is not about what you say, but rather what you sow.”
If you’re married or hope to be someday, what is one thing you hope for your marriage?
Discussion Questions
1. Love always assumes the best. Tell the story about a time when you assumed the worst but everything turned out better than you expected.
2. Great changes don’t happen overnight; they require time and patience (Galatians 6:7-9). Does that encourage or discourage you? Why?
3. Marriage is a magnifier; it shows more clearly who you really are. How have you seen this play out in the marriage of someone among your friends or family?
4. Every marriage experiences disappointment, dedication, doubt, and bad decisions. Which of these do you most identify with and why?
5. What is one way you’ve been disappointed by God because He didn’t do something you expected Him to (Luke 1:5-7)? What did you learn from that experience?
6. The marriage that is focused on disappointments eventually destructs. If you were honest, what two or three things would you say your marriage is focused on?
7. God wants to take your mess and turn it into a miracle. What mess do you want God to turn into a miracle today?
8. There is power in a person who persistently prays (Luke 1:8-17). What is one thing you—and if you’re married, your spouse—have prayed for consistently for a long time? Do you think God has heard your prayers? Why or why not?
9. Even when it’s easier to doubt God and we don’t understand what He’s doing, He deserves our trust (Luke 1:18-25). When was a time God did something supernatural through you because you were obedient to Him in your daily choices?
For Further Reading
• Colossians 3:14-17
• Genesis 12:1-5, 18:11-15, 21:1-7
• Luke 11:5-13