Inspirational Quotes by Gary Thomas

“Men who are filled with the Spirit—they are alive to God, and God is active in them—and men who are full of wisdom. You won’t regret making a choice founded on that basis.”

“Racism, prejudice, dishonesty, laziness, gluttony, materialism, selfishness—all these grow more unpleasant the longer you have to accommodate them. If you’re already tired of having to excuse your partner of one (or certainly several) of these, you’re going to have a tough time when it comes to marital satisfaction twenty years from now.”

“Here’s the reality: many women are led into marriage primarily through romantic idealism, and many men are swept to the altar through sexual attraction. Before you can make a wise marital choice, you have to rid yourself of inferior motivations. The wrong why will lead you to the wrong who.”

“Jesus’s teachings direct us to make a decision that will lead to righteousness—to seek someone who will inspire us toward godliness, who will confront us when we go astray, who will forgive us when we mess up, who can encourage us with wisdom when we are uncertain about how to proceed.”

“Perhaps you reject Plato’s soul-mate line of thinking but have developed a “Christian alternative,” something along the lines of finding the one person whom God created “just for you.”

“getting married won’t make you happy or an adult; getting married simply makes you … married.”

“Infatuation fills your eyes with what you’re getting, but let the Bible fill your mind with what you’re committing to give.”

“Biblical love is not based on the worthiness of the person being loved—none of us deserves Christ’s sacrifice—but on the worthiness of the One who calls us to love:”

“Does your Christian (partner) pray? ... if not, you’ll walk through life without the person who knows you most lifting you up in prayerful support. You’ll be the only one supporting your kids in prayer. You’ll be married to someone who isn’t opening themselves up to gods conviction encouragement and support.”

“fleeting fun. This is the kind of love celebrated in most movies, novels, television programs, and songs. You’ve been conditioned to value it above all else and have been told that it’s the only “authentic” love.”

“but if someone’s character has no foundation, there’s nothing to build on.”

“The warning behind this reality is that if we make too much of marriage, we make too little of our relationship with God. And when we make too little of our relationship with God, we undercut our source of love, which makes success in marriage less likely. Focusing on marriage too much is, ironically enough, the best way to kill it.”

“I ache for the day when people make such wise marital choices that they can pray through where to live to make the most significant impact for Christ instead of praying that they could merely be able to exist in the same house without yelling and fighting.”

“If you haven’t talked about it to your partner, you have no business talking about it to someone else, unless it’s a particularly touchy issue and you’re seeking godly wisdom as to how to share it or broach the topic.”

“Wisdom says we should try to make a relationship work not because we have strong feelings but because it’s a good match.”

“People who marry well aren’t lucky in love. They’re intentional in their path.”

“Honor isn’t passive, it’s active. We honor our wives by demonstrating our esteem and respect: complimenting them in public; affirming their gifts, abilities, and accomplishments; and declaring our appreciation for all they do. Honor not expressed is not honor.”2”

“The Bible views us as recipients of God’s perfect love, already charged with an important life mission (seeking first the kingdom of God), and thus the decision to marry, though crucial, won’t define us. Nor will who we marry define us.”

“Rejecting the notion that God creates one person just for us doesn’t discount the reality that God can lead us toward someone and help us make a wise choice when we seek Him in prayer.”

“Giving respect to others brings light and life into our lives. It leads us in the end to respect the God who created all of us and shapes us as he sees fit. It is an essential discipline, and marriage provides daily opportunities to grow in this area.”