iLove-Marriage

In the beginning God created.....and it was good.

This phrase "it was good" appears after every area of creation but one. In Genesis 2:18 God declares, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." God saw the beauty and need to create families as the building block for all human civilization. God knew that Adam would need a helper, a friend, a mate and a lover. It is here that God brings every animal before Adam to be named and the Bible stats, "But for Adam no suitable helper was found" then God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. When he wakes up he finds himself looking at Eve...

At this point God institutes the first marriage, " For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." Gen 2:24-25

Marriage was never intended to be shameful yet many marriages are full of shame. This brings me to the point of this blog. How do we infuse our marriage with the power and purpose of the Holy Spirit?

C.S. Lewis once said, "When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now."

If we lean on the Holy Spirit as our guiding force and rely upon God's design for marriage we may find that our witness to others may have a greater impact on others. In Ephesians 5:22-32 God lays out His amazing design for marriage that in many disregard today.

In the first part God addresses wives followed by His message to husbands.

To wives God says, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." This passage is one of the most controversial passages we hear about today. (many women are thinking, "I don't think so" and many men are thinking, "that's right"

The word submit means "to defer to or consent to abide by the opinion or authority of another" Does this mean that a wife should listen and obey her husband? If she is serious about living by God's design, then yes. It means that a wife can now longer live for self but she needs to live for her husband. Her desire should be to see his wants, needs, goals and dreams fulfilled rather than her own. This is contrary to how the world operates.

Now let's look at God's message to men! " Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" Husbands your responsibility and headship in the marriage does not ever give you the right or authority to "lord" over your wife. God did not make woman from man's head so that he can lord over her or from man's foot so she can be trampled on but woman came from his side so that she can walk by his side.

Men you are charged to LOVE. This word love is the greek word AGAPE, the word for divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. This means that if you want to be a godly husband, you have to stop living for your self. You have to give your life for her. That doesn't just mean being willing to die. Jesus loved us so much. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:5-7) Jesus made Himself nothing for your behalf. Husbands will you make your self nothing for your wife? Your desire should be to see her wants, needs, goals and dreams fulfilled rather than your own. This is contrary to how the world operates.

Infusing your Marriage
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

God must be the 3rd and binding thread in your marriage.