Cherish Bible Study Guide: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage

Millions of married couples have pledged to "love and to cherish, until death do us part." Most of us understand and get the love part... but what does it mean to cherish your spouse? Why do we say it once at the wedding and then rarely ever mention it again?

In this six-session video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), bestselling author Gary Thomas draws on personal stories and teachings from the Bible to show how cherishing can have a powerful effect on marriage. Learning to truly cherish each other turns marriage from an obligation into a delight. It lifts marriage above a commitment to a precious priority. Cherish is the melody that makes a marriage sing.

If you find yourself going through the motions in your marriage, Thomas will walk you and your spouse through real ways to reverse the pattern:

• Erase contempt and honor your spouse
• Stop comparing and focus on the unique traits in your spouse
• Let go of hurts and forgive your spouse
• Go beyond serving and showcase your spouse
• Don't stop trying. The more you cherish your spouse, the more you will cherish your spouse.

Many couples survive by gritting their teeth and holding on. Or they find themselves just "going through the motions" in their relationship. But cherishing your spouse can reverse this pattern. Cherishing can breathe light, hope, and new life into a marriage--even one marred by neglect and disrespect.

The Cherish Study Guide includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions.

Sessions include:

1. To Love and to Cherish
2. Your Honor
3. Taking Your Marriage to the Next Level
4. Cherishing Your Unique Spouse
5. This Is How Your Spouse Stumbles
6. Keep on Cherishing

Designed for use with the Cherish Video Study (9780310080749), sold separately.

Gary Thomas is writer-in-residence (and serves on the teaching team) at Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas and author of 18 books that have sold over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into a dozen languages. He and his wife Lisa have been married for 30 years.