Theme of the Week: Devoted
Bible Verse: “So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1, CSB
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1:8-12
Greg Nettle, pastor and church planter, was walking to his car after a golf tournament when he realized the remote trunk opener wasn’t working. Neither were the automatic door locks. When he finally got inside the car, he saw the fuel gauge was already empty, even though he had filled up on gas less than twenty-four hours before. More frustrating yet, the car would turn over but then immediately die.
After a tow truck delivered the disabled vehicle to the dealership, a mechanic came out to Greg and told him the problem: a bad BCM.
“What’s a BCM?”
“The Basic Control Module. It’s essentially the car’s brain, and once it goes bad, everything starts malfunctioning.”
Greg could have insisted on “fixing” the trunk, the door locks, the gas gauge, and any number of problems — but those were merely the symptoms of an overall malfunction.
How often do we do the same thing with marriage? We focus on the symptoms:
“We need to improve our communication.”
“We need to get better at handling conflict.”
“We need to show more appreciation for each other.”
“We need to have a more unified plan with the children.”
“We need to work harder at keeping the romance alive in our relationship.”
We can spend a lifetime focusing on the symptoms, or we can replace the BCM — the Basic Control Module. I believe the BCM for marriage is our spiritual motivation.
It all comes down to this: Are you a God-centered spouse or a spouse-centered spouse? A spouse-centered wife acts nicely toward her husband when he acts nicely toward her. A spouse-centered husband will go out of his way for his wife, as long as she remains agreeable and affectionate. He’ll romance her, as long as he feels rewarded for doing so.
But Paul told us we are to perfect holiness out of reverence for God. Since God is always worthy to be revered, we are always called to holiness; we are always called to love. A God-centered spouse feels more motivated by his or her commitment to God than by whatever response a spouse may give.
Excerpt from Devotions for a Sacred Marriage: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Couples
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