‘Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.’ Colossians 3:18-21(NLT)
‘If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ‘ James 3:13-17(NLT)
‘By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.’ 2 Peter 1:3-4(NLT)
There are two kinds of wisdom at work in this world. There is the earthly natural wisdom and the wisdom that comes from above, God’s wisdom. You cannot live a God-glorifying marriage on the basis of common sense or human wisdom. You live a God-glorifying life on God’s wisdom.
The word of God is going to be the standard for my life, therefore, the standard for my marriage. The word of God is trustworthy and is enough. If all I had was the Word of God to navigate the married life, I’d have everything I need. The latest self-help book can’t add one thing that I have to have. The one thing that I have to have is found in Scripture. The word of God is to be applied. I can know it, but if I don’t live it, there will be no benefit from what I know.
The Church is Vital to My Marriage
Your relationship to the church is going to have an effect in your married life. God’s people should experience His health in their marriages, as they live according to His word in their relationship with the rest of the family of God. The church is the fellowship in which there is mutual instruction and accountability. The church is where I learn from people who are more experienced than I am. It is also where I’m able to invest in people that which I do learn so that I can help them in their walk with God. We help, exhort, and strengthen each other. Sometimes we correct each other.
The Christian Life is Simple
You go to the bookstore and you find all these books saying, “15 Ways to Understand a Woman.” Good luck with that! God’s instruction is simple. The focus in Paul’s letter to Titus moves from this large picture of salvation to the specific commands regarding marriage or raising children. Those commands are simple and straightforward—shockingly brief in most cases.
We are called to live the Christian life in every realm of our life including that sliver of life that is called marriage. If the main things are the main things in your life, the Lord will guide you whenever you grab dinner on your way home, to find out that your wife had prepared a meal.
Live your married life to hear, “Well done.”
from Keys To A Successful Marriage