Hi Friends,
Since God is the One Who created this world, designed life and instituted the sacred union of marriage, only God gets to define all of these. Listen to God’s description of the only righteous structure for marriage, which Jesus is repeating and confirming here in the Book of Mark. Again, I emphasize, this is Jesus speaking about marriage in the New Testament:
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,” Mark 10:7 NIV
The structural foundation for humanity is marriage. I am going to be teaching the Biblical marriage…and I know this is going to get some people angry…but my Friends, while I love and respect you, I am not here to coddle and please you. It is my highest desire to honor and glorify God, and that means following what He has put into place. We learn God’s order for marriage and family, and thus society, from His Word. The moment we deviate from His Plan, is the moment we open up this world and our lives to all sorts of trouble. We can never forget that we are children of God…that means we do not know it all. We are still growing and learning and maturing, and yes, messing up too. This is only one reason why we should be so very grateful for God’s Mercy. He understands we are not going to always get things right, but if we choose to outright deny what He has put into place, we are asking for serious problems. It is one thing to agree with what God says, and then fall because we are imperfect…but it is another thing altogether to be rebellious and reject what God has created. There are so very many ways that the enemy attacks marriages, that it will take the next couple of weeks to dig into his schemes. Today, let’s start with what God had in mind for marriage.
The definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. It is the most intimate relationship these two humans will ever have, second only to our relationship with God, Himself. It talks about two very different beings coming together physically, soulfully and spiritually, as they become one. It talks about manifesting the Love of God in this holy relationship, and then perpetuating that love by joining God in creation and having a baby together, prompted by that love. In its purest form, marriage is supposed to reflect the perfect Love of God. The man and woman are supposed to learn how to become selfless, as they live for the other person they have committed their life to, till death does them part. No longer is the man living for his own pleasure, and no longer is the woman thinking only about her own desires. Each spouse is placing the other spouse ahead and above themselves. A healthy, Biblical marriage is both mutually beneficial and mutually pleasing. After all, if the husband is looking out for the wife’s best, and the wife is looking out for the husband’s best, then both will have and enjoy a fully satisfying relationship. There is nothing on this earth more sacred than this holy union. It is ultimately symbolic for our greatest union with God. Again, two very different beings coming together to become one…God and humans are completely different, and yet because of His Love, we can become one with Him. And this is why the enemy is on a war path to destroy the definition and sanctity of marriage.
The enemy hates marriage. Only three chapters into the Bible, we already see the enemy trying to destroy what God had brought together. The serpent fools Eve and tempts Adam, and the blessing of their union, now becomes the very thing that separates them from God and one another. The blame game introduced doubt between the man and his wife, and the power struggle over who will lead the family started, and sadly, continues strongly today. We will talk more about this next week. While marriage is supposed to be the best human relationship we can experience, it can also be the most challenging. Lord knows, my husband and I are still working things out, but when Love is the foundation, when we are seeking to honor God, then all things do work together for our good. That continues to be my experience, and each time God gets us through another trial, our love grows deeper and deeper for one another. Do you want that too? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
