Genesis 2:18-24 – “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should
be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’ Out of the ground
the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the
air, and brought them to
Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living
creature, that was its
name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every
beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to
him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he
slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which
the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought
her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be
called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave
his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one
flesh.”
In June, 2015 the
Supreme Court of the United States overturned the law that defined marriage as
between a man and woman. This ruling
recognized same sex marriage as the law of the land. This violates the Biblical definition of
marriage. There is always consequences of
tampering with biblical truth.
One
of the most powerful witnesses for marriage in our society is a Godly marriage.
Marriage is not a civil contract that two people enter into. It is a holy
covenant between a man and a woman. It
is meant to be for a lifetime. When a man and woman make vows to one another
the Lord is present.
Dennis
Rainey of Family Life Today writes, “In marriage, God brings together a man and
woman of different temperaments, personalities, backgrounds, strengths, and
weaknesses, and makes them one. They are stronger together than they are
alone.”[1]
Dr. Jack Hayford
writes, “The covenant of marriage
is the single most important human bond that holds all of God’s work on the
planet together. It is no small wonder
that the Lord is passionate about the sanctity of marriage and the stability of
the home. This covenant of marriage
is based on the covenant God has made with us. It is in the power of His
promise to mankind that our personal covenant
of marriage can be kept against the forces that would destroy homes and
ruin lives."[2]
Our
responsibility is to keep our covenant vows to our husband or wife. How do we strengthen our commitment? We must be empowered by the Holy Spirit to
keep our covenant vows to our spouse.
Christian marriage should be an example of God’s faithfulness.
There are three
keys to a successful marriage. The first
is communication. Proverbs 18:21 reads,
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat
its fruit.” When I counsel young couples
I always encourage them to have respect for each other. We must use our words to build up and
heal. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians
4:29, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for
necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
The second key to
a successful marriage is communion. A
successful family will be a spiritual family.
We must put God first in everything we do. Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God,
and His righteousness, and all these other things shall be added unto you.” The family that makes worship a priority will
be able to withstand the assaults of the enemy.
The third key to
a successful marriage is to relinquish control.
Marriage is a shared communion, a partnership designed for our benefit
and enjoyment.
[1]
Retrieved from the internet, http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/life-issues/challenges/cultural-issues/why-we-oppose-same-sex-marriage,
Feb. 12, 2016.
[2]
Hayford, Jack, Dr. Retrieved from the internet, http://preceptaustin.org/the_covenant_of_marriage.htm,
Feb. 14, 2016.
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