If you’re married, don’t be hard to live with, causing needless wear and tear on your spouse. This happens when you’re unforgiving (Col. 3:13), impatient (1 Cor. 13:4), or unmerciful (Rom. 1:31); and when you’re unkind and use harsh or rash words. Instead, be easy to live with, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Show forth the marks of love, which suffers long, is kind, does not envy or parade itself, is not puffed up, doesn’t behave rudely, seek its own, think evil, nor is it easily provoked (1 Cor. 13:4-8). Don’t be hard to live with, but prefer one another in honor. 

 

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/resources/63eff8a3e1ef28e573d78a69

If you're married, don't be hard to live with. Galatians 5, 22 and 23 says, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So what is it like to live with you? What kind of experience are you giving your spouse? When you're in your sunset years, what do you want your spouse to say about you?

Were you hard to live with? Some people are harder to live with than others. What kind of person do you want to be? Don't cause too much wear and tear on each other. Some roads are harder on cars than other.

Some cause more wear and tear. And if you live in a place where they salt the roads in the winter, in a few years your car will not look like it lived in California. The body will be rusted, it'll have a bad frame because the roads were hard. Marriages can be like that. Don't be hard to live with.

Here are several ways you can be hard to live with. Be unforgiving, Colossians 3.13. Impatient, 1st Corinthians 13.4. Unmerciful, Romans 1.31. Use harsh words.

Be unkind. Use rash words. Use caustic speech. Unfiltered speech. Evil thoughts.

That's what it means to be hard to live with. Here are the nine marks of love. Love suffers long. Is that you? Love is kind.

Is that you? Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself. It is not puffed up. It doesn't behave rudely.

It doesn't seek its own. It is not provoked. It thinks the best. It thinks no evil. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

The Apostle Paul ends with love never fails. Are you complying with one another? Do you prefer one another in honor? Are you patient with one another? Don't be hard to live with.

Be easy to live with. The Bible tells you how. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Scripture applied as a production of Church and Family Life. Visit churchandfamilylife.com for more resources.