Week 8: Chapters 11–12 — The Rewarded Cycle: Doing It for God

1.Eggerichs introduces the Rewarded Cycle with the premise: 'Do it for God, not just for your spouse.' He argues that this is the only cycle that cannot be broken — because even if your spouse never responds, God rewards faithfulness. How does this idea strike you? Does it feel liberating or challenging — or both?

2.Colossians 3:23 says, 'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.' Eggerichs applies this directly to marriage. How does treating your marriage as a spiritual calling — rather than a relational contract — change what you are willing to endure or invest?

3.The author is compassionate toward spouses in genuinely difficult marriages — where abuse, addiction, or chronic unfaithfulness are present. He does not argue that a wife should stay in a dangerous situation. But he does argue that, in non-dangerous difficult marriages, the call to love and respect is not suspended. How do you feel about this distinction?