Scripture text: Eph 5:25-33
Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Marriage is a very special union that God has designed. A wedding, no matter how grand and elaborate or simple, is only the beginning of the marriage journey, filled with many challenges ahead. Just as we put in time and effort to maintain a car or the function of any machinery, marriage has to be maintained and nurtured in order for it to be a happy and fulfilling one.
A Christian marriage is a life-long covenant of ‘till death do us part’ and thus the couple must look up to God, who has also provided us with a divine manual in His Word.
Each spouse must always seek to minister to the other in body and soul. This life-long ministry can be enhanced through the following areas.
1. Wife’s submission (vs 22) – God in His wisdom gives mankind the best pattern of hierarchical authority and function in the family. To submit is not slavery or inferiority. It is the loving and willing submission of a wife to her own husband.
2. Husband’s love for his wife (vs 25) – This is the emulation of the unconditional love Christ has for the church. The husband is also to love his wife as his own body (vs 28). Christ gave His life and to love involves giving – willingly and lovingly.
3. Faithfulness to each other (vs 26 & 27) – Many marriages, even Christian marriages, fall apart because of unfaithfulness, as indicated by statistics. To maintain a marriage, the married couple must give prayer a priority in their life. They are to pray for faithfulness to God and keep close to Him. And when one fears God and is faithful to Him, he will strive to be faithful to his own spouse under all circumstances.
Christ is the supreme example of love and faithfulness. He will remain faithful to His church through eternity. This ultimate union between Christ and His church must be the married couple’s greatest motivation to minister to each other so as to keep the marriage in the Lord growing and glowing, for His glory.
Marriage is a very special union that God has designed. A wedding, no matter how grand and elaborate or simple, is only the beginning of the marriage journey, filled with many challenges ahead. Just as we put in time and effort to maintain a car or the function of any machinery, marriage has to be maintained and nurtured in order for it to be a happy and fulfilling one.
A Christian marriage is a life-long covenant of ‘till death do us part’ and thus the couple must look up to God, who has also provided us with a divine manual in His Word.
Each spouse must always seek to minister to the other in body and soul. This life-long ministry can be enhanced through the following areas.
1. Wife’s submission (vs 22) – God in His wisdom gives mankind the best pattern of hierarchical authority and function in the family. To submit is not slavery or inferiority. It is the loving and willing submission of a wife to her own husband.
2. Husband’s love for his wife (vs 25) – This is the emulation of the unconditional love Christ has for the church. The husband is also to love his wife as his own body (vs 28). Christ gave His life and to love involves giving – willingly and lovingly.
3. Faithfulness to each other (vs 26 & 27) – Many marriages, even Christian marriages, fall apart because of unfaithfulness, as indicated by statistics. To maintain a marriage, the married couple must give prayer a priority in their life. They are to pray for faithfulness to God and keep close to Him. And when one fears God and is faithful to Him, he will strive to be faithful to his own spouse under all circumstances.
Christ is the supreme example of love and faithfulness. He will remain faithful to His church through eternity. This ultimate union between Christ and His church must be the married couple’s greatest motivation to minister to each other so as to keep the marriage in the Lord growing and glowing, for His glory.
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