Making plans to fix your love is critical to the success of your marriage.  Join us as we learn 5 simple ways to assess your love and begin “fixing up” your marriage.
Luke 14:28-30
Introduction:
The Assessment of your fixer upper

* You have to make that initial walk through of the property.

* What are the things that actually need fixing?
* You also have to identify the areas that need updating.
* The structure has to be inspected.
* Experts may have to come in with estimates.

* Why are assessments important?

* It gives you a baseline of the house.
* They allow you to properly plan.
* It helps you to plan your budget.

* What happens next?

* You get estimates.
* You write out a detailed budget.
* You set goals such as a completion date.

The “Assessment” of Your Marriage

* Marriages are not properly planned for.

* Ceremonies are meticulously planned.
* However, we just blindly go into married life.
* Why are there very few training courses for engaged couples?

* There is little emphasis on maintenance in marriage.

* Without a plan for maintenance things fall apart and break.
* Therefore, if you don’t keep things up in your marriage it will break.
* Sometimes things have to fall apart before we even think about repairs.

* How do you take an assessment of your marriage?

* Use a scale of 1 through 10. 1 is being separated and 10 is being like Christ and the Church. (See Ephesian 5:22-33)
* Ask yourself questions.

* Are we still in love?
* I am happy were my marriage is at?
* Does my spouse feel the same way?

* The following are 5 tips for assessing your Marriage.

1. Do not compare yourself with others.
Things are not always as they appear.

* People have different faces in public than in private.
* For example, have you ever had an argument ON THE WAY to Church?

The Goal is to be like Christ and the Church.

* We make the mistake of comparing ourselves to others.

* Take for instance, the way we use the word “spiritual”.
* The statement “I want to be more spiritual” means like a person we know, a story we have heard, or book we have read.
* However, your ultimate example as Christian should be imitating the life of Jesus Christ.

* The Bible addresses this issue in II Corinthians 10:12:“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
* Therefore your marriage should be compared to Christ and the Church. (Ephesians 5)

* Husbands should treat their wives the way that Christ treats the Church.
* Wives should treat their husbands the way that the Church should treat Christ.

God has unique plans for everyone.

* Serve the Lord where you are.

* Take for example, the stay at home mom who feels like she is getting NOTHING done.
* However, she is changing the lives of her children with each moment.

* It may seem like you are getting nowhere in life, but if you are serving the lord, you are doing something incredible!

2. Fix what you can.
Make the small repairs that you can.

* Lets use my house as an example.

* I would love to remodel my front porch, but I cannot right now.
* However, I can paint the door and fix the hinges.

* There are some some things you can fix in your marriage.