家庭团聚祈祷周在 9 月 11 日这个安息日达到顶点。这是一个为婚姻、家庭和人际关系祈祷的特殊日子。

随着婚姻和家庭受到越来越多的来自社会和家庭内部的攻击，我们需要更热切地为其祈祷。

其中的威胁之一是离婚。根据研究估计，美国 40%-50% 的初婚将以永久分居告终。 同样的情况也发生在60%-65% 的第二次婚姻中。关于这一点，报告中提到的原因有：缺乏信任、不忠、冲突和争吵。

幸运的是，有一些方法可以巩固婚姻和家庭。泰德牧师和他的妻子南希在这一集中分享了其中的一些方法。

首先是委身于上帝和你的配偶。尤其要保持与主的联系。到那时，他会引导并赐予你智慧来表达对配偶的承诺，你们会一起同甘共苦。短期问题不会威胁到你的婚姻。

其次，需要双方相互体谅、坦承地沟通，有效地解决冲突。具体来说，就是通过分享您的想法并倾听您配偶的意见，了解彼此的观点。

与此相关，《复临信徒家庭》第 106 页有一个忠告。它说：“无论是丈夫或妻子，都不应争取主宰之权。关于此事，主已订定了一个指导的原则。丈夫要爱护妻子，犹如基督爱护教会。妻子也当敬爱丈夫。双方都要培养体贴友善的精神，决意不使对方伤心或受损。”

因此，上帝不乐意看到你最终深陷争吵或暴力。相反，正如以弗所书 4:31-32 所说的，要彼此相爱和善待。“一切苦毒，恼恨，忿怒，嚷闹，毁谤，并一切的恶毒，（或作阴毒）都当从你们中间除掉。并要以恩慈相待，存怜悯的心，彼此饶恕，正如神在基督里饶恕了你们一样。”

再者，忠诚是坚固你们关系的另一项资产。要相互支持、信任和关心，并保持亲密。

此外，夫妻或整个家庭要花时间共度一段时光。这有助于家庭成员建立稳固的联系和友谊。 花时间一起进行有益身心的康乐活动。一起吃饭，也要一起进行家庭礼拜。一起唱歌和祈祷。古谚云：“祈祷的家庭坚不可摧。”

总而言之，要忠于上帝和你的配偶。然后，要相互体谅、坦承地沟通。同时，要彼此保持忠诚，要相互支持。最后，共度美好时光。别忘了把上帝放在中心。

最后，请默想哥林多前书13:4-7。“爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈。爱是不嫉妒。爱是不自夸。不张狂。不作害羞的事。不求自己的益处。不轻易发怒。不计算人的恶。不喜欢不义。只喜欢真理。凡事包容。凡事相信。凡事盼望。凡事忍耐。爱是永不止息。”

弟兄姐妹们，我们想通过本平台分享更多国外本会优质影像资料。因为人手有限，希望招募一些志同道合的主内同工，做英文视频字幕翻译，视频字幕合成制作，视频中文配音，配音对轨制作。有意者请留言输入“义工申请”。以马内利！

The Family Togetherness Week of Prayer culminates this Sabbath, September 11. As such, it is a special day to pray for marriages, families, and relationships.

More fervent prayer is needed as marriages and families have come under increasing attack from society and within the home.

One of the threats is the possibility of divorce. Based on estimated research, 40-50% of first marriages in the US will end in permanent separation. The same case goes with 60-65% of second marriages. Concerning this, the reported factors include lack of commitment, infidelity, and conflict and argument.

Fortunately, there are ways to strengthen marriages and families. Pastor Ted and his wife, Nancy, share some of these in this episode.

The first is to have a commitment to God and your spouse. In particular, remain connected to the Lord. By then, He guides and gives you the wisdom to manifest that commitment to your spouse. With this, you endure together through thick and thin. Short-term problems won’t threaten your marriage.

The second is to have clear and thoughtful communication and effective conflict resolution. Specifically, understand one another’s perspective by sharing your thoughts and listening to what your spouse says.

In connection to this, The Adventist Home has a counsel on page 106. It says, “Neither husband nor wife is to make a plea for rulership. The Lord has laid down the principle that is to guide in this matter. The husband is to cherish his wife as Christ cherishes the church. And the wife is to respect and love her husband. Both are to cultivate the spirit of kindness, being determined never to grieve or injure the other.”

As such, God doesn’t delight seeing you end up in aggression or violence. Instead, love and be kind to one another, as said in Ephesians 4:31-32. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Moreover, faithfulness is another asset in strengthening your relationship. Support, trust, and care for each other. Stay intimate.

In addition, spend time together as a couple and a family. It helps build a strong bond and friendship among your members. Take time to have wholesome recreation together. Eat meals together. Also, have family worship. Sing and pray together. As the old proverb goes, “the family that prays together stays together.”

To sum it all up, stay committed to God and your spouse. Then, communicate thoughtfully and clearly. Also, remain faithful to one another. Support each other. Lastly, spend quality time together. And don’t forget to put God at the center.

In closing, ponder upon 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”