Dating and Preparing for Marriage (Part 3) - Qualities of a Good Spouse

For a master copy of the outline, click here: Dating and Preparing For Marriage To listen to the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 2 To listen to the next sermon in the series, click here: Part 4 iv. Humility a. Humility - 1. The quality of being humble or having a lowly opinion of oneself; meekness, lowliness, humbleness: the opposite of pride or haughtiness. b. God resists the proud -- you should resist marrying them too (Jam 4:6). c. Find a man that has a high opinion of himself and you have likely found a man who has a low opinion of you (Luk 18:9). d. A proud man thinks too highly of himself to admit when he is wrong. (i) He will therefore get angry when confronted about his behavior (Pro 21:24). (ii) He will be one to stir up strife (Pro 28:25) and contention (Pro 13:10). (iii) If you don't want to walk on eggshells for the rest of your life, then don't marry a proud person. e. God will give grace to and lift up the humble (Jam 4:6,10; 1Pe 5:6). v. Wisdom (sound judgment) a. Wisdom - 1. a. Capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct; soundness of judgment in the choice of means and ends; sometimes, less strictly, sound sense, esp. in practical affairs: opp. to folly. b. Wisdom is held in very high regard by God (Pro 4:5-7). c. Principal adj. - 1. First or highest in rank or importance; that is at the head of all the rest; of the greatest account or value; foremost d. Wisdom is more valuable than wealth (Pro 8:11; Pro 16:16). e. Wisdom is foundational for building a good house (family) (Pro 24:3). f. A wise man is a strong man (Pro 24:5). vi. Good communication skills a. Does the person expresses their feelings well? (Pro 27:19) b. Do they listen well? (i) Is the person primarily interested in himself? (Pro 18:2) (ii) Are they swift to hear, or speak? (Jam 1:19) (iii) Do they hear you out before answering? (Pro 18:13) c. Do they receive reproof well? (i) A good man will accept reproof and be grateful for it (Pro 15:31; Pro 13:18; Psa 141:5). (ii) A person who hates reproof is a stupid fool (Pro 12:1; Pro 10:17). vii. Selflessness a. Is the person concerned with the welfare of others above himself? (1Co 10:24; Phi 2:4) b. Do they seek their own pleasure and wellbeing above that of others? (1Co 13:5; Phi 2:20-21) viii. Diligence (hard working) a. Diligence - 1. Constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent application and endeavour; industry, assiduity. b. Is the person a hard worker or slothful in his business? (Rom 12:11) c. Does he give his all to everything he puts his hand to? (Ecc 9:10; Col 3:23) d. Or does he always find an excuse as to why he can't do the work that needs done? (Pro 20:4; Pro 22:13) e. Is everything he owns falling apart, either literally or figuratively? (Pro 24:30-34; Ecc 10:18) f. A hardworking, diligent man will go places in life (Pro 22:29). g. On the other hand, a lazy sloth will be impoverished (Pro 6:9-11; Pro 19:15). h. It is not only important for a man to be diligent -- a virtuous woman is a hard-working woman (Pro 31:10-31).