Articles
Awfully Wedded
“I, ____________, take you, ___________, to be my awfully, I mean LAWfully wedded…..” Could you imagine making that slip up on your wedding day? I’m sure you wouldn’t live that one down. When we observe marriage in today’s society, the sad fact is that it seems like many are AWFULLY wedded. We see couples that fuss and fight, keep everything in the home separate from one another, argue over the kids, and seem to be miserable. I’m sure you’ve even heard people talk about how much they dread their own marriage. Why is this the case? Why is it that so many are dissatisfied with the holy union that God has allowed them to be a part of? Their are many small answers if we were to dig into individual issues, but the main issue is a lack of biblical relationship building and maintaining.
The Bible teaches clearly on the marriage relationship. Husbands are commanded to love their wives, to live with them in understanding, and to take care of them. Wives are instructed to love and honor their husbands. Jesus’ sacrificial and protective love for the church is a perfect illustration of the way a husband is to love and care for his wife.
An interesting thing happens when people are presented with a list of dos and don’ts. Many immediately start pointing the finger of blame at their spouse. Casting accusations against the other is no way to go about solving problems. Instead, let us all look inwardly and examine whether we are upholding our promises to our mates and to God.
Men, where does your wife fall on your list of priorities? Is she esteemed greatly in your house? Do you by your example teach your children to “rise and call her blessed,” or is she treated as the live-in housekeeper and babysitter? No honest man can say that he is doing everything he can to exalt his wife.
Women, how do you treat your husband? There is no greater feeling for a man than for him to know and feel that he is respected, appreciated, and honored by his family. Never forget that!
When it comes down to it, however, the man and his wife both have the same responsibilities towards their mate. The great commandment is to love God with your all, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. If you love God, you will love and cherish your mate. If you do not honor and respect your mate, you do not truly love God. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul teaches at length of the qualities of true love. The love depicted in that great chapter is not always easy — in fact, it rarely is — but it is necessary. It takes great efforts, tremendous amounts of work, and a good bit of self-sacrifice.
Consider your own marriage: is it a picture of what God designed marriage to look like? Surely we all can improve on our marriages, so let us take a step towards that improvement even today! Choose to love, honor, and respect your spouse as Christ does the church and as God has commanded, and reap the sublime blessings that spring forth from a godly marriage.
