First
United Methodist Church 
Study Guide and Daily Devotion
Monday, February 12
Re-read the scripture passages at the top of the sermon notes. God intended marriage to fulfill two purposes. What are they? If you are married, or dating, what does this information mean for you? How does your partner need your help? How are you helping them to grow into the person God wants them to be? What does it mean to befriend them? Pray for your partner, that God will bless them, and use you to be a blessing to them.Tuesday, February 13
What does I – It look like in a marriage? In what ways do you struggle with this? How do you overcome it and move into the I – Thou relationship? Read Philippians 2:1-5. How can you demonstrate respect and Christ-like love to one another? How does Christ call us out of the “I-It” relationship into an I-Thou relationship? Pray that you might respect and show sacrificial love to your partner.Wednesday, February 14
Today is Valentines Day. What do you make of the idea of the “love bank”? List five things that constitute a deposit in your love bank, and five things that constitute a withdrawal. Discuss each other’s lists together. Read Romans 12 looking for those verses which relate to how you live toward one another in your relationship. What gifts/abilities do each of you have that complement or help the other? Pray for one another, and look at ways that you might bless your mate/partner. What Valentines Gift would be a deposit in your partner’s love bank?Thursday, February 15
How important is forgiveness to marriage? Re-read Colossians 3:13. How does this passage speak to you? Let’s consider what Jesus says on this topic: Read Matthew 18:21-35. Do you think this teaching is a license for someone to continually mistreat their mate, perhaps even abuse them, and that the abused spouse must forever take the abuser back? Take a look just a few verses earlier – in Matthew 18:15-17. How do these two passages work together? Recognizing this, Jesus calls us to radical forgiveness. No relationship can ever work without a healthy dose of grace. At some point you must “pray through” those grievances you have against your mate, and finally let go of them, just as they must do toward you. In what way do you call upon God to forgive you? Are you forgiving in a similar way? Pray that God will give you a heart of forgiveness. And, if you have wronged your mate, ask for forgiveness.Friday, February 16
Look over Colossians 3:15-17. What do you read here about gratitude? Make a list of the things you can be grateful for concerning your partner or mate. List five things. Now share these with your partner. If you do not already pray at the beginning of each day, and at the end of each day, begin doing so – it will start and end your day well. As you do this, begin thanking God for your mate, and listing specific things you are thankful for. If you make this a daily practice, it will change you over time. Write a letter, no more than two pages, to your mate, expressing your gratitude for them – be specific, and seek to bless and minister to them as you write this letter. Plan together a fun night out on Saturday evening (the church Sweetheart Dinner is a possibility) during which you will share your letter with one another. Finally, begin intentionally looking for ways, each week, to make deposits in your partner’s love bank.