Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Have you ever been mesmerized by looking into the marriage of a husband and a wife? Growing up, this captured my mind so often. There was something about the holiness of God within my parents that I respected, revered and was amazed at how they worked everything out. Every morning, my mom would prepare breakfast for my dad and me and my sister. She would kiss him everyday before he left for work and would welcome him every evening when he came home. Their bedroom was for the most part off-limits unless invited in to. They ran the home together with distinct roles and brought their children up in the admonition of the Lord.
One of the greatest object lessons in the Christian faith is the institution of marriage. God ordained marriage between man and woman in the Garden of Eden, blessed it and told them to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and have dominion. For the past year, I have been learning what this is all about. On March 31, 2007, I exchanged vows with and entered into a covenant marriage with the young woman that God had brought to me. We did not sign a contract, but we covenanted together to be husband and wife until death do we part. These were strong words that were spoken and are not to be taken lightly. If I broke my word, I would be striking against the character of God in me. Today, this seems to be the norm, and it causes tragic consequences for the relational stability of both the spouses and the children that are involved. Sin destroys and distorts the beauty of everything God created, however, He has provided the cure for the death and destruction that it brings—Jesus Christ. In Christ, all things can be made new and restored to its magnificence and beauty!
Over the past year, I have learned a lesson that I would like to remind and share with you. First, the foundational characteristic of any good home is that it exists to glorify God. This first begins with each individual in the home having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. With the Holy Scriptures being the standard to live by, there is a greater authority to go to instead of each other’s personal opinion. Searching out the truth and living by it causes our hearts to change, adapt and be purified as the Holy Spirit speaks in the home. You might ask, “How does this work in the home?” Have you ever gotten mad or upset at your spouse? If you have been married for 3 months or longer, this has happened. If we want to have a peaceful home, then the situation must be discussed and resolved in a loving way. Living a Christ-centered life will cause you to apologize and forgive your spouse. Keep a clean slate with the Lord and your spouse. This will greatly benefit your ability to sleep at night! I have never slept well when I left everything festering inside. The situation only gets worse in the morning and hearts begin to harden. Jesus said in Matthew 19:8, “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”
Living by the Word of God changes everything! If I want to fully worship God then things must be right individually with the Lord and with my spouse. This involves good communication (prayer), financial sense (stewardship of resources), and every other area of my life. The greatest part of marriage is that it reminds us that we are works in progress. If we are not progressing in love and godliness then there must be a breakdown somewhere. In some ways, marriage has trapped me because I can’t worship God and be mad at my wife. Actually, marriage has freed me from the self-righteousness that I sometimes think I possess. God reminds me often of my sinfulness as my character is reflected by my spouse. It humbles me and shows me that I need His grace more and more each day to be all that He wants me to be. If we can get it right in the home, then the church will be holy instead of hypocritical and our children will be disciplined instead of disillusioned. May God bless your marriage or singleness. His design for both is that we be pure and holy before Him in love!
Have you ever been mesmerized by looking into the marriage of a husband and a wife? Growing up, this captured my mind so often. There was something about the holiness of God within my parents that I respected, revered and was amazed at how they worked everything out. Every morning, my mom would prepare breakfast for my dad and me and my sister. She would kiss him everyday before he left for work and would welcome him every evening when he came home. Their bedroom was for the most part off-limits unless invited in to. They ran the home together with distinct roles and brought their children up in the admonition of the Lord.
One of the greatest object lessons in the Christian faith is the institution of marriage. God ordained marriage between man and woman in the Garden of Eden, blessed it and told them to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and have dominion. For the past year, I have been learning what this is all about. On March 31, 2007, I exchanged vows with and entered into a covenant marriage with the young woman that God had brought to me. We did not sign a contract, but we covenanted together to be husband and wife until death do we part. These were strong words that were spoken and are not to be taken lightly. If I broke my word, I would be striking against the character of God in me. Today, this seems to be the norm, and it causes tragic consequences for the relational stability of both the spouses and the children that are involved. Sin destroys and distorts the beauty of everything God created, however, He has provided the cure for the death and destruction that it brings—Jesus Christ. In Christ, all things can be made new and restored to its magnificence and beauty!
Over the past year, I have learned a lesson that I would like to remind and share with you. First, the foundational characteristic of any good home is that it exists to glorify God. This first begins with each individual in the home having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. With the Holy Scriptures being the standard to live by, there is a greater authority to go to instead of each other’s personal opinion. Searching out the truth and living by it causes our hearts to change, adapt and be purified as the Holy Spirit speaks in the home. You might ask, “How does this work in the home?” Have you ever gotten mad or upset at your spouse? If you have been married for 3 months or longer, this has happened. If we want to have a peaceful home, then the situation must be discussed and resolved in a loving way. Living a Christ-centered life will cause you to apologize and forgive your spouse. Keep a clean slate with the Lord and your spouse. This will greatly benefit your ability to sleep at night! I have never slept well when I left everything festering inside. The situation only gets worse in the morning and hearts begin to harden. Jesus said in Matthew 19:8, “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”
Living by the Word of God changes everything! If I want to fully worship God then things must be right individually with the Lord and with my spouse. This involves good communication (prayer), financial sense (stewardship of resources), and every other area of my life. The greatest part of marriage is that it reminds us that we are works in progress. If we are not progressing in love and godliness then there must be a breakdown somewhere. In some ways, marriage has trapped me because I can’t worship God and be mad at my wife. Actually, marriage has freed me from the self-righteousness that I sometimes think I possess. God reminds me often of my sinfulness as my character is reflected by my spouse. It humbles me and shows me that I need His grace more and more each day to be all that He wants me to be. If we can get it right in the home, then the church will be holy instead of hypocritical and our children will be disciplined instead of disillusioned. May God bless your marriage or singleness. His design for both is that we be pure and holy before Him in love!
