ROAD MAP FOR MARRIAGE
A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Genesis 2: 24 NIV)
Let’s pull into the gas station and get directions. No! I don’t need directions; we can figure this out. Yes, this brief exchange is stereotypical and in this day of MapQuest and GPS, perhaps outdated. But that short discussion does reveal two distinctly different opinions about the value of directions. Do you need directions from someone who knows the area or don’t we?
God’s design is for you to be united with your spouse, in a one-flesh union, for life. He has not only decreed this, but He has also given us the map we need to successfully travel this path together—The Bible. Consider these basic principles: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5 v 21)
Let each one of you (husband’s in particular) love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Eph 5 v 33) Love suffers long and kind……..does not behave rudely, does not seek its own way, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil……bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13 v 4-7)
Are you using God’s roadmap/navigation system for your marriage? Are you on God’s road for your marriage? You may get off at the wrong exit at times, but if you stay plugged in to His navigating system, the Holy Spirit will recalculate you until you get back on track.
LOVE IN ACTION
What tips for a godly marriage do you wish you’d heard before you said, “I do”? God can help you incorporate those into your marriage even now. Ask Him to help you live out what you have learned about marriage from Hid road map and His people.
P R A Y E R
Lord, please help me to keep my eyes on you as we travel this marriage road. Help us to stay on your path and to remember, especially during the times when we want to go our own way. That you know the best route for a strong and lasting and lasting marriage that honors you.