Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Somebody has said that marriage is a "mutual" relationship where the man is “mute.” While we sometimes joke about the man’s responsibilities in marriage, marriage is a reciprocal relationship. It involves obligations as well as privileges. The apostle Peter spells them out for us when he writes, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them accordin...

Christianity was never intended for carpeted cathedrals alone. It was also intended for kitchens, dens, and the entire household. The Bible speaks explicitly about the responsibilities of Christians in marriage. One of the most detailed passages is 1 Peter 3:1-7. In these verses Peter deals with the place of wives, husbands, and prayer in marriage. Primary emphasis i...

Let’s face it: marriages do have their problems. Wherever two red-blooded people are building a home, you will find occasional spats, and now and then some fiery encounters. While occasional strife in a marriage is normal, continued conflict can be devastating. It can make life miserable and eventually destroy love. It has been well said, “Grumbling is the...

Very few people seem to understand what marriage is all about. Three words sum up the heart of it. Marriage is companionship, commitment, and compromise. First, marriage is companionship. In the beginning God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” God was right as always. Loneliness is devastating. God gave marriage to meet the basic loneliness in us...

Life involves conflict. It always has and it always will. This is as true of marriage as of any other relationship. When two sinful people (and we all are sinful) have a close relationship of any kind...at home, or at work, or among friends...they have to really work at it. Here are six good ways to deal with conflict: 1. Handle the conflict as it arises. The Bible...

There are only two basic problems in any marriage. One is the husband; the other is the wife. The washing machine is no problem. If it breaks down it can be fixed with a few dollars and any problem that can be fixed with a few dollars is no problem. People are not as easily fixed. In fact you can’t fix them. They have to fix themselves. This is why, in building...

If love is to continue in your marriage, it must be kept alive. There are some things that must be tended or else they will die a natural death. Love is like a fire. The Bible says, “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out” (Proverbs 26:20). A fire left untended will soon die a natural death. Gossip without someone to spread it will also die a natural d...

Convicted Soviet spy Stig Wennerström told his interrogators that his basic procedure during the five years he worked in the U.S. included the cultivation of “big shots” by first winning the friendship of their wives. “Women,” he said, “have a much greater influence over men than we realize.” This is true. Women do have tremen...

The apostle Peter urges husbands and wives to live in harmony with one another in their marriage relationship so that their prayer would not be “hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). The word hinder means “to cut” or “to interrupt.” Strife in the home is like static on the radio or television. It interferes with clear reception and good co...