Lately, I have been reading a small but helpful Banner of Truth book by Walter Chantry,  Shadow of the Cross, and one chapter deals with “Marriage and Self-Denial”.  In it he offers 3 reasons why marriages and homes are falling apart in western society.

1. Spouses may be ignorant of the well-marked boundaries which God has set for them
2. Spouses may raise clenched fists of defiance against the Most High
3. Remaining corruption and slight progress in grace may prevent husband and wife from executing known precepts of the Lord

He concludes this paragraph by quoting Isaiah 45:9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him” (ESV).  Our problems in life are usually simply, we or those around us have failed to do things God’s way.  The fix is not difficult to figure out, but is often refused because it requires us to deny ourselves and give up our own way.

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