Courtship Class: Week Four

Hello Dear Friends!

My brother and I attended another wonderful week of courtship class last Friday. I have been so encouraged by this class. I've also learned a lot, which is so great. I pray that my posts have given you some knowledge on courtship as well!

For those of you who didn't know, my brother and I have been attending a courtship class for several weeks now. If you are interested in reading my other posts for week one, two, and three, you may follow the links below:

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

On Friday, we talked a little bit about envy. I will try to explain what envy is through an example:

Have you ever noticed a person comparing himself to another?

Or, have you ever heard a person saying that he wants to be more like another?

This is an example of envy. Sadly, a lot of people have envy in their hearts. As a matter of fact, all of us have envy in our hearts. We are all sinners... But, with Jesus we can conquer those giants in our lives!! What a wonderful Savior we serve!

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We also reviewed Chapter two of the book we are reading, which is called, Seven Courtship Secrets for a Successful Marriage, by Mr. Bill Gothard, PH.D.

The title of chapter two is called The Secret of "Kingdom Seeking"! I would like to share some thoughts with you from this chapter...

The key Bible verse is Matthew 6:33, which says:

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

I love the words of that verse. Oh, how comforting it is to know that God will provide for us if we serve and praise His Name.

The first section of chapter two talks about how you shouldn't be making someone as an idol in your life. The book used an example of how a young man was focusing all his attention on a young girl, and how he was taking a large amount of his human love away from God and giving it to this young lady. In the end, he realized that he had made a big mistake. Instead of serving God with all his heart, he was cultivating thoughts about the young girl constantly. With that young girl, he was completely fulfilled. But then, he realized that God provides everything we need for our present happiness.

What a wonderful testimony.

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I love the words of the second section. I'd like to quote some words from the book...

"Instead of seeking a marriage partner, we must first seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness. He commands us to make the the Kingdom our first priority in life."

Scripture reference: Matthew 6:10, 13

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Another subject that was spoken about in chapter two was loneliness. It is a painful emotion that a lot of people experience. But... When you are making disciples, loneliness is not a problem. We are to share the good treasures of our hearts. This is part of our training.

Scripture reference:

"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."

(2 Timothy 2:2)

Look at the story of Paul in Philemon 1. He didn't have a wife during his ministry, and did not suffer from loneliness. Instead, he focused on whom he was discipling, and they became his "dearly beloved" friends. They were also the source of his joy!

As "Seven Courtship Secrets for a Successful Marriage" says it...

"If we love Jesus, we will feed His sheep with the Scriptural truths that God is teaching us. Then we can claim the promise that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Those words truly encouraged me, and I hope they did the same for you!

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I have really enjoyed the courtship class so far. My prayer is that you have been encouraged and up-lifted through my courtship posts each week. If you have any further questions, feel free to email me at: wheretheheartremains@gmail.com.

I always love hearing your opinion and thoughts!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, Where The Heart Remains. I feel so blessed to have readers like you! :)

Have a blessed Monday evening, dear friends!

Your Sister In Christ,

{Most of the quoted text in this post was taken from the book, Seven Courtship Secrets for a Successful Marriage by Mr. Bill Gothard, PH.D.}