Marriage

LOVE YOUR SPOUSE

Our responsibilities in marriage are best realized when we are in Christ.

Ephesians 5:31, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

What are your responsibilities to your spouse? Are you the bread winner? Are you the dish washer? Are you the launderer? Are you the lawn care technician? Are you the mechanic? If you had a job description, just what would it look like?

I’m not so sure any of us can fully understand what our role is in our marriage until we know the creator of marriage. The creator of marriage is God. He created it in the garden when He created Eve, giving her to Adam to be a helpmeet to him.

When we give our life to Christ, repenting of our sin, and confess Him as Lord and Saviour, it is then we begin to understand what our responsibilities to our spouse are. We learn to love them as Christ loves them. We learn to forgive them as Christ forgave them. We learn to be patient as Christ is patient toward us!

Do you love your spouse? Do you love your spouse as Christ loves your spouse? If not, maybe you need to repent and trust Jesus as Saviour!

LEAVE AND CLEAVE  

            If more would leave and cleave, there would be less quitting and divorce.

Genesis 2:24, Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

            So, this past week we got some snow. My wife and I were walking around a track getting a little exercise in and we noticed the snow clinging to the side of the trees. It was a reminder to us of the verse above. It reminded me that she should come only second to my Saviour.

            When I left my parents and married my wife, I didn’t look back. I didn’t think, what would have happened if I had never gotten married. I never questioned why I married her. (She probably many times questioned why she married me. 😊) You see, when we marry, we need to follow scripture! We need to leave Mom and Dad and we need to cleave unto our spouse, never looking back!

WE NEED SOME MEN!

God ordained men to lead the home, so men, LEAD!

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Ephesians 5:22-23

What should we be led by, culture or the Word of God? If we follow culture then we will not recognize the Word of God’s counsel on the home. I mean really, it’s not popular today to say a man is the head of it. Much less is the counsel the man is the head of the wife. But can I share with you a simple truth, when men lead their homes in the way God has ordained, the wife is happier, the children are better, and society improves!

Men, lead your home in the way God wants you to; loving her as Christ loved the Church, serve her with your life, and most importantly forgive your wife when she doesn’t live up to your expectations, isn’t that what Jesus does for us?

WHATEVER HAPPENDED TO, “UNTIL DEATH DO US PART…?”

Keeping our eyes on the Lord and being thankful for the spouse He has given, helps to protect us from divorce.

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Mark 10:9

In the past year, I have heard many couples facing a divorce. Some of them have been long time friends that I would’ve never thought would reach this tragic point. So what happened? What can we learn from them? What can I do to protect my relationship with my Saviour, with my wife, with my children, with those friends I have earned respect from?

I can keep focused on the work God has given me to do. Idle hands has been said to be the devil’s workshop. I have found this to be true in my life. When I “take a break” and sit down, the devil is right there with the temptations he is so good at. So get off the couch and stay busy for the Lord. 

I can keep my love focused on my wife. I am reminded of what Solomon told his son in Proverbs 5:18-20, “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?” My satisfaction should be in spending time with my wife. Time in the bedroom, time on vacation, time holding hands in the park, time at the mall, time holding her close, time anywhere she wants to go… even when I really don’t want to.

I can be thankful for the wife God has given me. “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Proverbs 18:22” Being thankful goes beyond the bedroom. It’s being thankful for who your spouse is. The person they are becoming in the Lord and who y’all are becoming together.

Your marriage does not have to end in divorce but if it already has, your life isn’t over. Take the time to learn from and mistakes you may have made. Stay close to the Lord. Get busy serving the Lord. If the Lord so graciously sends you another spouse… thank Him for a second chance!

IT’S WEDDING TIME!

Outside of salvation there is nothing more important than whom you “fall” in love with!

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:24

Several years ago I heard someone say, “Every date is a potential mate.” Through the years I have seen young men and women fail to comprehend the simple truth that statement proclaimed. If they had never had that first date they would not be facing divorce right now.

I know people change over time, some for the better and others for the worse. I understand sooner or later the life altering decision of divorce may have to be made. But, in the beginning, it wasn’t designed to be that way. What changed…man’s wicked heart. (Matthew 19)

If you are single and “looking” for a spouse, make sure you put God first, allowing Him to guide your “search”. As you put Him first, He will guide your steps to the one He has for you and not the one Satan does. (Matthew 6:33)