Keep Strengthening Your Friendship With Your Mate

 Keep Strengthening Your Friendship With Your Mate

(w26 April, pp. 26-31, studied June 29–July 5, 2026)

Theme: A happy marriage rests on a close friendship between husband and wife, together with their shared love for Jehovah.

Introduction:

Good friends are a gift from God — they share our joy, comfort us, give honest advice, and are loyal. A married couple should be each other's best friends, and that friendship needs ongoing effort, not neglect, to stay strong.

Choosing a Lifelong Friend:

Choosing a marriage mate is one of life's biggest decisions, so it deserves careful thought and prayer for God's guidance. Christians are encouraged to choose a baptized mate, since marrying within the faith avoids the difficulties of being "unevenly yoked." During courtship, a person should honestly evaluate how the other treats family, handles disagreements, views money, and whether they share the same spiritual goals. It also helps to ask others about the person's reputation and to pay attention to genuine doubts rather than ignore them.

Your Mate's Place in Your Life:

1. Jehovah first

2. One's mate second

3. Other relationships and responsibilities after that

Spending Time Together:

Couples who are close friends want to be together, and long separations (such as working abroad) can seriously damage a marriage. Several couples shared what works for them: doing activities together instead of separately, deliberately scheduling time together, taking a genuine interest in each other's hobbies, putting phones away, and — most importantly — sharing spiritual routines like Bible reading, prayer, and the ministry together.

Sticking Together Through Challenges:

All marriages face difficulties, but like a valuable building or artwork worth restoring, a troubled marriage is worth the effort to repair. Couples are encouraged not to rush toward separation but to ask what they personally can improve, review 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 on love, pray for guidance, and seek help from elders, mature Christians, and official resources (the brochure Your Family Can Be Happy, the video series For a Happy Marriage, and the "Help for the Family" article series).

Conclusion:

Singles should choose mates carefully, and married couples should keep strengthening their friendship and rely on Jehovah when facing challenges.

Study Questions:

1. Why are good friends a gift from Jehovah?

2. Why is it important for a married couple to keep strengthening their friendship?

3-4. What will help a person find a good marriage mate?

5. Why is it important to choose a baptized person as a mate?

6-7. What kind of questions should be answered during courtship?

8-9. What can help someone who is courting make a wise decision?

10. Why is it good for a husband and wife to give time and attention to each other?

11. What can threaten the friendship between husband and wife?

12-13. What have some married Christians done to spend time with their mate?

14-15. Why should a couple do their best to overcome challenges in their marriage?

16. What can help a couple facing a serious challenge in their marriage?

17. How can those contemplating marriage and 

those already married find happiness?

Từ mới và cụm từ mới (giải thích tiếng Việt)

TỪ MỚI (Vocabulary)

1. nurture (v.) — nuôi dưỡng, chăm sóc cho phát triển

Ví dụ: Couples need to nurture their friendship.

(Vợ chồng cần nuôi dưỡng tình bạn của mình.)

2. neglect (v.) — xao lãng, không chăm sóc

Ví dụ: Don't neglect your relationship.

(Đừng xao lãng mối quan hệ của bạn.)

3. prospective (adj.) — tương lai, có khả năng trở thành

Ví dụ: Evaluate your prospective mate.

(Đánh giá người bạn đời tương lai của bạn.)

4. courtship (n.) — thời gian tìm hiểu trước hôn nhân

Ví dụ: Use your courtship to get to know each other.

(Hãy tận dụng thời gian tìm hiểu để hiểu nhau hơn.)

5. discern (v.) — nhận biết, phân biệt rõ

Ví dụ: Try to discern what the person is really like.

(Cố gắng nhận ra con người thật của người đó.)

6. reasonable (adj.) — biết điều, hợp lý

Ví dụ: Is she known for being humble and reasonable?

(Cô ấy có được biết đến là người khiêm tốn và biết điều không?)

7. tribulation (n.) — hoạn nạn, khổ đau lớn

Ví dụ: Married people will have tribulation in their flesh.

(Người có gia đình sẽ gặp khổ đau trong thân xác.)

8. restoration (n.) — sự phục hồi, khôi phục

Ví dụ: The restoration work may take years.

(Công việc phục hồi có thể mất nhiều năm.)

9. priority (n.) — ưu tiên

Ví dụ: No one should take priority over your mate.

(Không ai nên được ưu tiên hơn người bạn đời của bạn.)

10. loyal (adj.) — trung thành, chung thủy

Ví dụ: Good friends are loyal.

(Bạn tốt là người trung thành.)

CỤM TỪ MỚI (Phrases)

1. "stick closer than a brother" — gắn bó, thân thiết hơn cả anh em ruột

2. "unevenly yoked" — không tương xứng, không cùng "ách" (đặc biệt về đức tin/giá trị sống)

3. "make the heart rejoice" — làm cho lòng vui mừng

4. "take something for granted" — xem nhẹ, coi là đương nhiên mà không trân trọng

5. "stick together" — sát cánh bên nhau, đoàn kết, nhất là lúc khó khăn

6. "a way back into someone's heart" — con đường quay lại trái tim ai đó, hàn gắn tình cảm

7. "put on the new personality" — mặc lấy nhân cách mới (tính cách tốt theo tiêu chuẩn Kinh Thánh)

8. "threefold cord" — sợi dây ba tao (mối quan hệ được củng cố thêm nhờ yếu tố thứ ba)

9. "quickly be torn apart" — dễ dàng bị chia cắt, tan vỡ nhanh chóng

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-april-2026/Keep-Strengthening-Your-Friendship-With-Your-Mate/