God instituted marriage in order to protect the couple and the family. Jesus said that marriage is only for people here on earth (Luke 20:34). There is no marriage in heaven, because we will marry our Bridegroom during the Great Tribulation that occurs on the earth (Revelation 19:7).
So, why get married on earth? Making marriage vows encourages a person to keep them and to remain committed to one person until death parts them. We belong to one another, and that sense of belonging brings security and joy (1 Corinthians 7:4).
We usually leave our parents and cleave to our mate, becoming one flesh (Genesis 2: 23-25). God makes it clear throughout the Bible that there is a difference between married sexuality and sexuality outside of marriage (1 Corinthians 7:2; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 6:9).
If people continually live a lifestyle of sexual perversion, they are not Born Again. If they were, the Holy Spirit would convict them that this is wrong behavior and give them the power and the courage to change their ways.
When we find a compatible mate we receive favor from the Lord (Proverbs 12:4, 18:22, 19:14, 31:10-11). God calls the husband to love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife to respect her husband (Ephesians 5:33). These traits increase our intimacy with one another.
Sometimes, our mate turns out to be a disappointment to us. We have expectation and preconceived ideas about this person from our dating experience. However, once the marriage knot is tied, we see one another's true self. We relax and often change altogether.
If these changes threaten our life and well-being, there are shelters created to protect us. Contacting a local police precinct will enable us to enlist the help of these secret places of refuge. These new habits adopted by our mate may not be life-threatening, but annoying and discouraging.
In this case, we can respectfully communicate how we really feel. Many a spouse would change behavior in a heartbeat if they knew that their behavior grieves us. We can also help one another to brainstorm about alternative behaviors, or we can simply accept each other just as we are.
Prayer:
Father God, two people living together is quite a challenge to any relationship. Help us to meld into one flesh by vulnerably expressing how we truly feel, by allowing each other the right to some autonomy, by making time to grow together as a couple, and by cherishing each other's place in our life.
Teach us to serve one another in love, just as Jesus serves His Bride. He is our example in all things, and we can grow spiritually by imitating His behavior. Have Your Spirit convict us when we are inappropriate, to show us how to change, and to give us Your wisdom for living as a testimony of Your Agape love on this earth.
Thought for the Day:
In marriage, we serve one another in love, encourage and complement each other, genuinely care about our mate, and spend time sharing our heart with one another every single day; we grow in unison as we humble our self, lighten each other's load in life, pray together for one another, and do not take each other's short-comings personally.
