{"id":300163,"date":"2018-03-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/the-link-between-worship-and-relationships\/"},"modified":"2024-10-08T00:22:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T04:22:59","slug":"the-link-between-worship-and-relationships","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-link-between-worship-and-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"The Link Between Worship and Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Kendrick explores how our relationships with God and our spouse affects our worship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2018-03-05.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:26:52","filesize":"24.6M","filesize_raw":"25798349","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2082,2822,2810],"tags":[2877,4265,4266,4388,4170],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[8818],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-300163","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-growing-in-your-faith","category-growing-spiritually","tag-marriage","tag-relationship-with-god","tag-relationship-with-your-spouse","tag-relationships","tag-worship","cwp_profile-alex-kendrick","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/300163\/the-link-between-worship-and-relationships","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/300163\/the-link-between-worship-and-relationships","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ooM5eQMzMJ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-link-between-worship-and-relationships\/\">The Link Between Worship and Relationships<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-link-between-worship-and-relationships\/embed\/#?secret=ooM5eQMzMJ\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Link Between Worship and Relationships&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"ooM5eQMzMJ\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Alex Kendrick explores how our relationships with God and our spouse affects our worship.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2018-03-05.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>The book of Hebrews says, no matter where we are in life, we have a high priest who can sympathize with what we\u2019re going through. Here\u2019s Alex Kendrick.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Alex<\/strong>: Wherever you are right now: some of you would say, \u201cOur marriage is good!\u201d Some of you are saying, \u201cOur marriage is alright; you know.\u201d Some of you would say, \u201cOur marriage is just <em>blah<\/em>,\u201d and some of you would say, \u201cOur marriage is <em>bad<\/em>.\u201d What\u2019s incredible to me is God <em>Himself<\/em> has <em>felt<\/em> all of those emotions that you <em>feel<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Monday, March 5<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. Whatever you\u2019re going through today\u2014whatever you\u2019re facing \/ whatever you feeling\u2014you serve a God who can relate. Stay with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us on the Monday edition.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Are you still rocking?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I\u2019m always rocking\u2014that\u2019s just my way of life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You are\u2014you are rocking.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>But I have to tell you\u2014we care about our listeners; don\u2019t we?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We do!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And so, we\u2019re here today, not only to hear a great message from our friend, Alex Kendrick, but we\u2019re here today because, if we don\u2019t say something pretty quickly to our listeners\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014they\u2019re going to miss it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014they won\u2019t have the opportunity to be with us, next Valentine\u2019s Day, for the <em>Love<\/em> <em>Like You Mean It<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> marriage cruise. We just got back a few weeks ago from this year\u2019s cruise. It was a <em>great<\/em> event. In fact, the message we\u2019re going to hear today was a message that was shared onboard the cruise.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut as of today, more than 70 percent of the state rooms for next year are already booked. We just thought we\u2019d better let our listeners know: \u201cIf you want to go, we expect this\u2019ll be sold out in the next couple weeks.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And I\u2019ll tell you, Bob\u2014this was yours and Mary Ann\u2019s, as well as Barbara\u2019s and my, eighth cruise.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I <em>never<\/em> cease to be amazed at the stories we hear of God intercepting people on the high seas\u2014well, they\u2019re not high. [Laughter] Actually, there was a little rocking taking place of the ship, but you don\u2019t get sick.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You really don\u2019t. It\u2019s a big ship\u2014almost 3,000 people from how many states?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I think there were 45 states. I met a couple from Nigeria, who had come to Florida from Nigeria, to be on the cruise with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And I met someone from Romania. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, it\u2019s just a great time to get away\u2014it is a great time to get away. Now that it\u2019s a week long, it is <em>really<\/em> a delight\u2014everything\u2019s taken care of. You couldn\u2019t get better teaching than what you get on the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> cruise. In fact, we\u2019re going to hear from Alex Kendrick today, who gave a devotional. This is an illustration of one of the morning devotionals that was given to\u2014what would you say?\u20141400\/1500 people?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Oh, the room was packed\u2014it was a full room.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Alex Kendrick is the producer and director of <em>War Room<\/em>, and <em>Courageous<\/em>, and <em>Fireproof<\/em>, and on and on they go. He was also one of the co-producers of <em>Like Arrows<\/em>, which you\u2019re considered a co-producer of that as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Right; right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That\u2019s going to be released May 1 and 3 in theaters\u2014over 800\u2014across the country.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, and Alex told us this year that he and his brother, Stephen, and their brother, Shannon\u2014they\u2019re going to be back with us, next year, for the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise. They expect to have a sneak preview of <em>their<\/em> latest movie. In fact, the folks on the cruise will be among the first in the nation to see the movie that they haven\u2019t even filmed yet. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHere\u2019s the point of all of this\u2014you ought to join us for a great week-long getaway. If you have any interest in doing it, now is the time. Call us at 1-800-FL-TODAY to get more information; or you can find out more, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com\u2014there\u2019s a link available to you there. It really is a great getaway. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And you\u2019re about to hear a <em>great<\/em> message by Alex Kendrick. It\u2019s really about marriage lessons from God\u2019s relationship with His people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Recorded Message]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Alex: <\/strong>If I were to ask you if God has feelings and emotions, what would you say? He does! Now, He is the Creator; and so, sometimes, I think: \u201cOkay; God created everything. So all of my emotions have their origin in Him.\u201d Of course, I can twist and warp my emotions if I\u2019m not walking with Him\u2014of course\u2014but my emotions \/ the way I feel when I\u2019m excited, and delighted, happy, ecstatic\u2014well, that has its basis in the Lord creating that for me \/ allowing me to feel that. When I feel okay or when I feel blah, you know, that has its place too. And then, when I feel terribly <em>sad<\/em>, almost depressed\u2014well, that feeling comes from something too. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, God created the spectrum of emotions. If you would have asked me, \u201cWell, does God have strong feelings about this or that?\u201d I would say: \u201cOf course; He\u2019s the Creator \/ He created emotions. Of course, He does.\u201d But to what degree has God Himself felt the gamut of emotions that you and I feel, specifically, in <em>your<\/em> marriage? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to go back to 1 Kings, Chapters 8 and 9. From the time God delivered the Hebrews out of Egypt\u2014right?\u2014He delivers them; they wander in the wilderness for 40 years because of disobedience and lack of trust. He takes them, eventually, with Joshua, into the promised land\u2014establishes the promised land \/ kicks out all the ungodly peoples that God says to kick out\u2014because He\u2019s giving this land, which belongs to God, by the way\u2014God gets to determine who gets what land. So He says, \u201cI\u2019m giving this land to you.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIsrael starts to take over the land. Then, they look around and they say: \u201cWell, that nation has a king, and they have a king. We don\u2019t have a king!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSamuel says: \u201cGod is your King. I\u2019ll speak for the Lord, but God is your King. Trust the Lord.\u201d And it goes really well for a while; but they say, \u201cNo; we want a king.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod says, \u201cYou don\u2019t want a king, because you don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re asking.\u201d \u201cNo, Lord! We want a king!\u201d So they get Saul. Saul starts off well\u2014the Lord\u2019s hand is on him\u2014but then things go south. After 40 years, Saul turns away from the Lord\u2014makes some dumb decisions \/ dies. The kingdom is stripped from his lineage and is given to David. David becomes king\u2014also for 40 years\u2014and then Solomon for 40 years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe get to the moment where the temple is going to be built. I\u2019m going to camp out on the temple in just a minute. Does anybody know how long, from the time the Hebrews were released from Egypt to the time God finally got His temple to put the Ark in and for His presence to dwell and His name to be known? Does anybody know how long that was?\u2014480 years! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe Lord waited a <em>long<\/em> time. You could say, \u201cWell, for God, it\u2019s not really waiting; because He\u2019s God.\u201d No; He says \u201cwait.\u201d He says in Scripture, \u201cI have waited.\u201d God is very, very relational\u2014very relational with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAfter 480 years, He gets the temple. Now, I want to remind you how significant the temple is; and you\u2019ll see where I\u2019m going in just a minute. The temple was built by the greatest craftsmen of the day. King Solomon spares no expense\u2014he gets the best craftsmen \/ the best stones\u2014they are cut specifically. The temple is erected. He overlays everything with the finest craftsmanship inside\u2014with all the wood and then overlays the wood with gold, pure gold. So, when you walk in, you see all the wood; and it\u2019s all ornate and designed\u2014it\u2019s all overlaid with gold. All the utensils are the finest bronze for all the priests to use and do their sacrificing. And you have your Holy of Holies\u2014the cherubim, gold \/ the Ark of the Covenant, gold\u2014I mean, it is <em>magnificent<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen they finish building this, after a long period of time, Solomon\u2014remember, David wanted to do it; but God said: \u201cNo; it\u2019s not for you, David. You\u2019ve committed too much bloodshed. It\u2019s for your son, Solomon.\u201d So David could only make <em>some<\/em> preparations. So Solomon does this. When he finishes doing it\u2014and the people are very, very excited\u2014and Solomon, at this point, is whole-heartedly honoring the Lord as the one true God\u2014he gathers all the officials and leaders of Israel together in Jerusalem to dedicate the temple. This is a <em>big deal<\/em> in Scripture. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen he does\u2014this <em>magnificent<\/em> temple is finished and the Ark is about to go in\u2014and I was noting, when I was reading this, how God treated this. God\u2019s pleasure was so thick there \/ His favor was so thick. This is one of the moments where God and His people have an intimate, intimate form of spiritual relationship and connection. The Lord is there, looking down, and they are proclaiming the name of the Lord.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSolomon dedicates the temple. If you read 1 Kings 8 and 90, you\u2019ll see this long, beautiful, God-honoring prayer of dedication, where Solomon blesses the people for coming; and he blesses the Lord and he says, \u201cYou are the one true God; there is no other.\u201d\u00a0 His hands are raised; he falls to his knees\u2014he says: \u201cGod, You delivered us; You sustained us; You protected us, You provided for us. You are the beginning and the end, Lord. You are the only God,\u201d and he\u2019s worshipping God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe people worship God with him, and he dedicates the temple. They take the Ark in; and when they do, God shows up. He manifests Himself in this thick cloud that emanates around the Ark, out of the Holy of Holies, throughout the temple, and starts to come out. There is a <em>physical<\/em> manifestation of the glory of God. It says the priests were overwhelmed. They even had to leave and walk out\u2014it was so strong. God shows up; He\u2019s being worshipped. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, this feast of prayer, and worship, and unity, and sacrifices for a sin offering and for just an offering to the Lord, out of worship\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014they\u2019re doing it over, and over, and over. It\u2019s offering to God; it\u2019s feasting; it\u2019s praising; it\u2019s praying\u2014the dedicating the temple\u2014just loving God. It was a love feast for the Lord, and it goes 14 days before people start going back home.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd you see, when God does this\u2014and He shows back up to Solomon\u2014God is <em>pleased<\/em>. He comes to Solomon and He says, \u201cI will <em>always<\/em> keep someone from your line on the throne; but walk with Me, seek Me, obey Me.\u201d God is saying: \u201cSeek Me. Choose Me; choose Me; choose Me!\u201d God wants <em>your<\/em> heart, and your love, and your adoration of Him, over everything else; right? It is a very intimate moment. Now, if I had to compare it to something\u2014you and I had a honeymoon, and you\u2019re just doting on your spouse. You want to please <em>your<\/em> spouse. You\u2019re not overloaded with the rest of life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe have this time, where they\u2019re dedicating the temple; and then, time goes by, and God keeps His Word. He douses Israel with protection. God\u2019s blessing Israel, and other countries bring tribute to Israel\u2014and it says they <em>fear<\/em> Israel\u2019s God. But as time goes by, what does Israel do? They get used to this! Many of the men in Israel start looking around, going: \u201cHey, things are going well here; look at what they\u2019re doing across the lines here, in that country over there. Look at those dancing girls down there\u2014around that idol down there. Look at their feast. Look at their celebrations.\u201d They start looking around at what\u2019s going on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd Solomon\u2014he makes the poor choice of marrying wives from some of these other countries that worship different gods. So, in tandem, Solomon and\u2014it starts with the men of Israel\u2014start noticing these other gods. Why? They <em>forget<\/em> the context and the blessings of what God has done for them\u2014they take them for granted. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey start looking beyond what the Lord has provided, and they start bringing other gods into the land. God starts sending prophets to say: \u201cWait, wait, whoa! What are you doing? No; seek Me! I\u2019m the One that\u2019s providing all this for you. Your protection comes from Me; your notoriety comes from Me; your blessings come from Me! Choose Me; choose Me,\u201d\u2014God says. He sends one prophet after another.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt goes from being intimate to being, you know\u2014[so-so]. You\u2019ve been there in your marriage; right? After a while, it gets <em>blah<\/em>. They\u2019re half-heartedly honoring God now. God\u2019s keeping His end of the deal, but now God starts to express more emotions that we haven\u2019t seen yet\u2014this <em>longing<\/em> for Israel to choose Him, whole-heartedly, not just halfway: \u201cChoose Me whole-heartedly! Focus on Me whole-heartedly.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd Israel doesn\u2019t do it. Now, you have <em>moments<\/em>\u2014you have King Josiah, who finds the Old Testament law, and he comes back to the Lord\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014and they have these brief revivals, but they\u2019re not sustained. They keep going, and it\u2019s <em>blah<\/em>; it\u2019s <em>blah<\/em>. And then, it goes to the other extreme\u2014where it\u2019s <em>bad<\/em>. When you get to the Book of Jeremiah\u2014Jeremiah is known as what?\u2014the weeping prophet. Why is he known as the weeping prophet? Because he\u2019s not only seen what\u2019s about to happen to his beloved Israel, but he\u2019s also expressing God\u2019s <em>feelings<\/em> toward Israel. I want to read you both extremes. I\u2019m going to start in 1 Kings 8 and 9\u2014I\u2019m just going to read a summary\u2014so follow me here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSolomon finishes building the temple with Lebanese cedars, gold, [and] bronze. He gathers all the leaders and people of Israel together; places the Ark of the Covenant inside; the glory of the Lord filled the temple like a cloud of mist. Solomon stood and blessed the people and praised the Lord. He recounted God\u2019s promises and faithfulness, culminating in a dedication of the temple as a place for God\u2019s name to be honored \/ His presence to dwell. At this point, God is delighted and happy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSolomon worships and praises God\u2019s power, mercy, forgiveness, righteousness, provision, protection. He falls to his knees as he prays out loud to God with his hands toward heaven; and the people join Solomon in making thousands of sacrifices and offerings, worshiping the Lord. They do it two weeks. And then God blesses Solomon and all of Israel, and this goes on for some time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, here\u2019s the other end of the spectrum. This is out of Jeremiah 2 and 3, and he\u2019s speaking for the Lord. As a young bride\u2014He calls Israel His bride: \"As a young bride, you were so eager to please Me and to love Me; but you strayed from Me. Even after I protected you and provided for you over and over again, you began seeking and giving your love to worthless idols made by <em>man<\/em>. Even my priests began ignoring Me. You treated My love for you as <em>worthless<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cYou have abandoned and rejected Me for gods that cannot see and cannot hear, but I freed you from slavery. I gave you this land. I brought the rains and the harvest. I defeated your enemies. I brought you blessings. What have I done to make you reject Me? You\u2019ve defiled every hilltop and place of worship. You are an adulterous wife.\u201d God calls Israel His bride \/ His wife\u2014He says: \u201cCome back to Me; return to Me; choose Me; love Me! For disaster and judgment are coming because of your wickedness.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is what struck me\u2014wherever you are <em>right<\/em> <em>now<\/em>\u2014some of you would say: \u201cOur marriage is good\u201d; some you would say, \u201cOur marriage is alright; you know\u201d; some of you would say, \u201cOur marriage is just <em>blah<\/em>, just <em>blah<\/em>\u201d; and some of you would say, \u201cOur marriage is <em>bad<\/em>.\u201d What\u2019s incredible to me is\u2014God <em>Himself<\/em> has <em>felt<\/em> all of those emotions that you <em>feel<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe felt it for His chosen ones, His nation. I mean, think about this\u2014think about what God says here. Can you think of anything worse than feeling totally abandoned and rejected?\u2014there is no intimacy \/ there\u2019s nothing! And yet, that\u2019s what God is feeling here. No matter where you are, the Lord knows. None of this is foreign to Him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then Christ comes, and does He not go through the same thing? He is celebrated, and followed, and praised: \u201cYou are the Son of God!\u201d And then those: \u201cI don\u2019t know about You, Jesus,\u201d\u2014the Thomases\u2014\u201cAh, man, I don\u2019t know.\u201d And the people that said: \u201cCrucify Him. Crucify Him. You lie; You are not the Son of the living God.\u201d He\u2019s totally abandoned and rejected. Even His closest followers flee or totally say, \u201cI don\u2019t know the man.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe Lord knows you better than you know yourself, and He has <em>been<\/em> there. And so, times when I might struggle or Christina might struggle in our relationship, the Lord knows <em>exactly<\/em> how you\u2019re feeling. He has felt it\u2014and for longer periods of time than you and I have ever felt it! Think about it\u2014<em>most<\/em> of His relationship with Israel was <em>bad<\/em> \/ most of it\u2014it was negative\u2014it was: \u201cIsrael, please come back. Please come back. Please come back.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere were few times where God was totally delighted\u2014you could probably name them on one hand\u2014but yet He loves us. He\u2019s compassionate, and merciful, gracious to us, and longsuffering. It <em>amazes<\/em> me when I think about that: \u201cGod, on my darkest days, You have felt that.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow here\u2019s my other point. I\u2019m almost a Baptist, because I almost have three points; but I really just have two. [Laughter] So, my first point is that: \u201cWherever you\u2019ve been, God has been there and He has felt it.\u201d The second thing is this: \u201cWhen it was good, why was it good?\u201d Here\u2019s my second point: \u201cWhen our worship is <em>right<\/em>, then we\u2019re in a position for God to do amazing things and to show up.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIsrael was in a right state of worship. They were acknowledging God for who He is and who they were, and their dependence on Him, and that He is the only God when their worship was right! See, worship, by its very nature, is humbling. It is an unselfish act; because if I\u2019m sincerely worshipping God, what am I doing? I\u2019m acknowledging: \u201cLord, You\u2019re the One on the throne, not me. I\u2019m acknowledging my need for You, that You are the holy One, not me\u2014that You are the righteous One, that You are the Creator; You are the sustainer \/ You are the provider. You are all of these things, not me.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor me to worship God is to say: \u201cI am the worshipper.\u201d So, when my worship is <em>right<\/em>, then I\u2019m in a position for God to say: \u201cAlex, work on this,\u201d \u201cAlex, apologize for this,\u201d \u201cAlex, I\u2019m going to teach you something here.\u201d I\u2019m moldable when my worship is right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, wherever you are\u2014two things: God knows and has felt it Himself; and secondly, when your worship is right, then you\u2019re in a position for God to do amazing things. Now, the timing is up to Him. Maybe you say, \u201cWell, I want God to work on my spouse,\u201d\u2014all of us want God to work on our spouses\u2014\u201cLord, if my spouse would only realize this\u201d; you know? Because what do we do?\u2014we use our own scale. See, in my marriage, my scale is, \u201cOh, I have things to work on, but my spouse <em>really<\/em> has things to work on.\u201d And then Christina, who loves me, thinks the same thing about me: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cI know I have things to work on, but you <em>really<\/em> have things to work on\u201d; you know? That\u2019s the way\u2014because we\u2019re using our own scale.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut when my worship is right, and I\u2019m viewing it the way God wants me to view it, He will show you what you need to do. When you\u2019re listening, my worship is right\u2014I\u2019m listening; I\u2019m honoring; and I\u2019m humbling myself because: \u201cIt\u2019s a \u201cfull acknowledgment, God, of who You are and who I am not. And Lord, I need You.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAll of us want intimacy; right? You want intimacy in marriage \/ you want intimacy in your relationship. You want intimacy, physically; and hopefully, you want intimacy, spiritually, with the Lord. To get there, acknowledge the God who created it has also walked it \/ He\u2019s also felt it\u2014Old Testament\/New Testament both. He knows what it\u2019s like to be elated on the best days; He knows what it\u2019s like on the most horrific worst days. You have not gone through anything He Himself has not gone through. But secondly, He wants intimacy with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe wants you to chase Him, and to know Him, and to seek Him\u2014and not half-heartedly\u2014not on the blah days.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy final statement to you is this: \u201cIn many ways, your marriage should be a reminder of God\u2019s desire for intimacy with you. If it\u2019s not going well in your marriage, ask yourself, \u2018Is it going well between me and the Lord?\u2019\u201d That should be a reminder, husbands \/ that should be a reminder, wives: \u201cI want intimacy. I want greater levels of intimacy, relationally, emotionally, [and] physically. So Lord,\u201d\u2014if I turn that around and I say: \u201cLord, what do You want from me? Do You also want greater intimacy from me? Do You want more of my heart and my worship?\u201d Let\u2019s get our worship <em>right<\/em>; then watch what God does.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, we\u2019ve been listening to a message from Alex Kendrick, a message recently given onboard the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAfter it was over, I tweeted this: \u201cYour desire for intimacy in your marriage should remind you of God\u2019s desire for intimacy with us. Intimacy with God is the first step on the path toward renewed intimacy in marriage.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, the point is\u2014we often think that, if there are issues in marriage, it\u2019s always a horizontal issue. If you want to fix your marriage issues, you start by saying: \u201cIs everything okay between God and me? Is our relationship good?\u201d That\u2019s the place to begin to start marriage repair.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And the truth is you can trust God. Here\u2019s who He is\u2014Psalm 103, verse 8: \u201cThe Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.\u201d And then it talks about how his love is as high as the heavens. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd Bob, that\u2019s the God of the universe, who invites you into a personal relationship. I love what Alex was saying here\u2014you ought to have a check in your spirit: \u201cWhat kind of intimacy do I have with God? Am I getting closer, or am [I] drifting?\u201d Now is not the time to be drifting. You need to stick and stay close with the Almighty, because He is the One you can count on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, once again, Alex and his brother, Stephen \/ brother, Shannon\u2014they\u2019re going to be back with us, again, next year on the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise, along with their latest film. We\u2019ll get a chance to preview that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe have a great lineup of speakers and artists; and as we mentioned earlier, this cruise is more than 70 percent full already. If you\u2019re interested in joining us\u2014sailing with us, during Valentine\u2019s week next year, going to Honduras, and Belize, and Key West\u2014go to FamilyLifeToday.com; or better yet, call 1-800-FL-TODAY. We can get you registered for the cruise when you call. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you have any questions, go online at FamilyLifeToday.com; but call to register: 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019re going to take some time to think about how important it is for us to be patient people in life and in marriage. We\u2019ll hear a message from Bryan Loritts tomorrow. I hope you can be with us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, with special help from Mark Ramey. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> of Little Rock, Arkansas; \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tA Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2018 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/300163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300163"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=300163"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=300163"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=300163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}