Daily devotion – the example of marriage
Marriage God’s Way
If you are single, or no longer married, I want to encourage you to stick with us in these marriage devotions as well as our new marriage series commencing Wednesday the 3rd May. Why you ask? We each need to remember that marriage is the very relationship example Paul used to describe the Churches relationship with Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5: 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
I have highlighted all the references here Paul refers to the Church when he is teaching on the marriage relationship. Remember, the Church, that is you and I, we are the Bride of Christ!
So the relationship of marriage, how it works, where each one fits, their obligations and responsibilities are all seen here in the marriage relationship and its masterful reflection of Christ and His Church.
As does our relationship with God requires good communication, through reading God’s Word, obeying the Holy Spirit and connecting through prayer, good communication in marriage is critical for it to work.
For genuine communication, there must be an understanding of the emotional, mental and physical differences between men and women. There must be companionship. “I’d rather be with my spouse than with anyone else.”
There must be conversation, not only discussion of differences when such arise, but a meaningful exchange on the intellectual and emotional levels!
Lastly, a marriage requires time and effort – Love must be given the opportunity to mature. The climate for this is set in God’s Word. When the marriages starts to stumble, a couple does not just “fall out of love”; they stay together and work things out!
They do not consider themselves as martyrs of a “bad deal”, but “heirs together of the grace of life” – 1 Peter 3:7
“Each one of you must also love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” – Ephesians 5:33
Tomorrow we look at some simple key things as to how things can be resolved!