Kindle Edition Audiobook Amazon Marriage God's Way Scott LaPierre's website Category:  Relationships Publisher: Charis Family Publishing ISBN-10:  0692689354 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 243 Copyright: August 6, 2016 ISBN-13: 9780692689356 Price: $2.99 (eBook) At its best, marriage brings joys and blessings rarely seen in this life. At its worst, marriage generates pain and conflict, often because husbands and wives do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Wouldn't it be great if husbands and wives had access to clear, simple instructions on how to have a wonderful marriage? Such instructions exist! As the author of marriage, God placed the recipe in His Word that shows husbands and wives how to experience the marital blessings available to every couple. Whether you are preparing for your wedding, newlyweds, or marriage veterans, you will learn those instructions in Marriage God's Way. Pastor Scott offers a clear guide on the Bible's view of marriage. He explains: Scripture's commands for husbands and wives Godly love and how to show it Submission and headship Biblical intimacy How to build your marriage on an indestructible foundation Scott LaPierre combines clear teaching from Scripture with practical application for daily married life to encourage, challenge, and equip you to experience a healthy, joyful, Christ-centered relationship.          Excerpt A Husband Gets the Wife He Prepares for Himself Ephesians 5:27 continues the description of Christ sanctifying and cleansing the church: “That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” There is a tremendous truth contained in these words. Christ does what He does in verse 26—sanctifying and cleansing the church—so that He can obtain for Himself the glorious church, or bride, described in verse 27 that has no spot or wrinkle but is holy and without blemish. The ESV says, “So that He might present the church to Himself in splendor . . .” Here is the simplest way to sum it all up: Christ gets the church He prepares for Himself. Since this is again a picture for husbands and wives, what else is the apostle Paul implying by this truth? Just as Jesus gets the church He prepares for Himself, husbands generally get the wives they prepare for themselves. Wives respond well to love, holiness, and obedience to God’s Word. When husbands treat their wives forgivingly, lovingly, and tenderly, they will generally receive more forgiving, loving, and tender wives. When husbands treat their wives unforgivingly, unlovingly, and harshly, they generally find themselves with wives who are less forgiving, loving, and tender. Rather than be cruel or harsh toward their wives, some husbands are more likely to be apathetic or indifferent. They take no interest in their wives. They do not invest in their wives. They are often annoyed with them. We will discuss 1 Peter 3 in chapters 15 through 18, but for now it is worth noting that verse 7 commands husbands to “dwell with [their wives] with understanding.” Husbands need to make an effort to know or understand their wives. This is what allows wives to blossom and grow. When husbands are uninterested in their wives, they end up with cold, bitter, frustrated wives. Earlier we talked about a husband’s responsibility regarding his wife’s sanctification. Another way to look at this is that husbands are responsible for the wives they get for themselves! It is a simple equation. If a husband is helping his wife with her sanctification and spiritual cleansing, he is going to get a sanctified and cleansed wife. So aside from the fact that God commands it, one great reason for a husband to take his wife to church, read the Word with her, pray with her, and help her grow spiritually is that he will receive a more spiritually mature wife. What kind of qualities will be produced as a result? Galatians 5:22–23 record: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Conversely, husbands who do not lead their wives spiritually will get wives who are less spiritual. What is the opposite of spiritual? Fleshly. Galatians 5:19–22 list the “works of the flesh” and here are just a few: hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, envy, even adultery. How many husbands see these works in their wives because they themselves are poor spiritual leaders? How many wives might be more spiritually mature if their husbands were praying for them, as well as praying and reading the Bible with them? Tragically, I have listened to some husbands talk terribly about their wives when in fact they have simply received the wives they have prepared for themselves. Galatians 6:7 tells us: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The context of this verse is giving to the church, but the principle also applies to a husband’s relationship with his wife. Husbands generally reap what they sow in marriage. If husbands will invest in their wives by sowing seeds of love and interest, if they will plant spiritual seeds of sanctification, they will reap what they have sown. Let’s summarize by keeping two truths in mind: 1. Foremost, husbands ought to sanctify and cleanse their wives because that is what God commands and husbands will be held accountable for doing so. 2. Husbands ought to love their wives and lead them well so that they might have loving, spiritual wives. The good news is that God’s command to husbands benefits them as much as it benefits their wives. A husband who loves his wife as God commands will bring great blessings to himself.

Tedd Tripp—Husband of forty-eight years, pastor, speaker, and author of Shepherding a Child’s Heart
“Marriage God’s Way is a thorough and comprehensive treatment of marriage. The reader who works his way through this volume will be richly rewarded.”

Scott T. Brown—Husband of thirty-one years, director of the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches, pastor, speaker, and author of A Theology of the Family
“Most Christian books on marriage today don’t have much Scripture in them. Not this one. It is saturated with the Word of God. If you want a book that is built on the foundation of exposition of Scripture, this book is for you. While Scott offers many practical insights, they are all grounded in the biblical text using biblical language. Marriage God’s Way will fill your mind with the pure and perfect Word of God. This is what every marriage needs.”

Reb Bradley—Husband of thirty-eight years, pastor, speaker, founder of Family Ministries, and author of Child Training Tips
“With the divorce rate for believers lagging just behind that of unbelievers, there is no shortage of Christian books on marriage. Unfortunately, few of these books offer lasting effectiveness, because they lack the authority and wisdom of Scripture. Most merely weave together tidbits of human wisdom and pop ideas spiced up with random verses. Pastor Scott understands that strong marriages need more than tidbits of wisdom and pop ideas. He knows that as the Designer of marriage, God gave us His Word as an owner's manual. Therefore, in Marriage God’s Way, Scott draws upon the authority and wisdom of the Bible to help every couple find the passion, intimacy, and romance that God intended.”