God designed man to have the capacity to develop relationships with others. Of all the relationships that we have, however, one that is set apart and should be prioritised above all is the relationship that we have with our spouse – our very marriage.
Marriage is God-given
God personally designed and instituted marriage. It was His idea to create man and woman, and bring them together so that they could help each other pursue what God wants them to do. (see Genesis 1:27-28)
The idea of marriage, however, has been attacked and distorted since its very beginning, starting from the time when the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:1-7) until today. Because of this, we should prioritise our marriages, and set it higher than any other human relationships that we have.
Not convinced? Here are some reasons why we should prioritise our marriage.
1. God instituted it
We must realise that even though we were the ones who "chose" who to marry, it's God who brings people in our lives. Thus, following that logic, it's God who brings people together – just like He did to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:21-23.
Friends, we must keep in mind the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man should leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two are to become one flesh. Thus they are no longer two, but one. So then, no one should break apart what God has joined together."(see Mark 10:6-9)
2. The enemy will keep attacking it
John 10:10a tells us that the "thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy,"and will do all that he can to destroy our marriage. Don't believe me? See the number of families broken by divorce, adultery, unfaithfulness, "falling out of love" and all that jazz. That's the enemy succeeding in his plot to "steal, kill and destroy."
We should, then, take a proactive stance in protecting our marriage. Avoid entertaining wrong thoughts and wrong people. Handle your marriage in the fear of the Lord, knowing that He won't be happy and will be angry when we allow sin to destroy our marriage.
3. God will require much from us of it
Luke 12:48 tells us that to whom much is given, much will be required. We should keep in mind that it's a great honour and trust to be entrusted with someone we will take care of and love for the rest of our lives – and that God will hold us to account for this on the day of judgment.
Friends, realise that God is happy to entrust your spouse to you because He has plans for both of you. Honour God by honouring and taking good care of your spouse.
