watch over your heart

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." -Proverbs 4:23

The flesh is weak, the spirit is willing. Self-control, submission, trust in the Lord. We tell ourselves lies of temporary "pleasures" that weakens and dries the soul. The desires of the flesh can seem so subtle, but it may eat us up and we forget the Lord. That is why we always need to be on guard; there is no break from spiritual discipline. Lord, help us.

"You'll never amount to anything and you'll never accomplish anything of significance unless you learn habitually to do those things you don't like to do. You won't move ahead in life by letting it all hang out, by just doing what feels good in the moment, by following your passions. You only really make an impact in life by saying "no" to pleasurable but empty things and saying "yes" to the good things that may not be pleasant in the moment. And it is a sign of maturity to be able to do that, by the way. It's the sign of a mature Christian to say no to the short term pleasure in order to reap the long term good."

J.P. Moreland

blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD.
For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8

"My goal is God himself, not joy nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God." -Oswald Chambers

Christ and His church

Simply put, marriage is meant to be a picture of Christ and His church. All the other blessings in weddings, marriage are so small or maybe even nothing compared to this picture. This truth is accepted by believers (hopefully) but to love it, embrace it, value it does not come quickly.
I loved weddings ever since I was small. First because I loved being with all my cousins when a relative would get married. Then I loved weddings of people from church just because my friends were there as well. I just enjoyed the environment of weddings. Now seeing how couples aim to glorify God with their marriage, aim to be selfless and to serve, to diminish themselves so Christ can be lived out in their lives, to point each other to Christ - for the wife to submit to the husband, and the husband to lead and sacrifice for his wife - is very different than how I saw it before.
The book of Hosea speaks of how God loves His people, people who are like prostitutes. He pursues and loves and protects. Christ sanctifies His bride, He cleanses her, nourishes her, cherishes her (Eph 5)... He died for her. How wonderful of a husband Christ is to His church.

(not sure if to relate God's promises to Israel the same to the church, but still reveals the character of God)
"I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord." Hosea 2:19-20