Marriages

Marriage is God’s idea; it’s the first institution He established upon the face of the earth. It’s a place where a male and female can experience joy, peace, fulfillment, pleasure and fruitfulness.

In this union, both parties have the opportunity to experience God’s blessings and be a blessing to each other and God.

Marriage is not a common contract, but a holy covenant where three parties are involved. Jesus is the first party. He is always present in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and is willing to guide, empower and help us to enrich marriages. The man and the woman are the second and third parties in a marriage. We read in the Bible Gen 2:2, “man will leave his mother and father and be united with his wife and the two become one flesh.” Volumes have been written about this scripture; nevertheless the words leave, be united and become one flesh are the basic words that make marriages the ideal place they should be. Both parties are to submit to love, respect and care for each other unconditionally. Marriage will be ideal if both man and woman would like

Jesus to give one hundred percent of their efforts to make the other happy. Marriage is not a fifty-fifty deal.

Marriage problems originated in the first marriage between Adam and Eve when Adam failed to live up to his priorities. Problems continued through the ages unto this day. God has a blueprint as to how marriages can be the ideal union. When man and/or woman fail to embrace God’s principles for a marriage, bad marriage will hurt. God is grieved and feels the pain of every hurting marriage.

God’s basic treatment healthy marriages can be found in Ephesians 5:21–33 “Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. 22 Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. 23 The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. 24 So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. 25 Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. 26 Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, 27 dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. 28 And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. 29 No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, 30 since we are part of his body. 31 And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” 32 This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. 33 And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.”