Marriage: God's Idea

Some things that stood out from this week and this
Article from Focus on the Family

Stop asking of marriage what God never designed it to give: perfect happiness, conflict-free living, and idolatrous obsession.

The better we understand how something is designed to work, the less we will try to get it to be something it's not.

God designed marriage to provide partnership, spiritual intimacy and the ability to pursue God together. The most common misconception is finding a soul-mate who will "complete" us. Spiritually, looking at anyone else other than God to be your god is idolatry. We are to find fulfillment and purpose in God...our spouse will fail as our "god." No person can live up to such expectations.

God created husband and wife to steer each other in His direction. When a wife forgives and accepts her husband, the husband learns to receive God's forgiveness and acceptance as well. She models God to him, revealing God's mercy and helping him see with his own eyes a very real spiritual reality.

Easing tension throughout the other-centered union in a me-centered world:
~God created marriage as a loyal partnership between one man and one woman.
~Marriage is the firmest foundation for building a family.
~God designed sexual expression to help married couples build intimacy
~Marriage mirrors God's covenant relationship with His people.

If happiness is our primary goal, we'll get a divorce as soon as happiness seems to wane. If receiving love is our primary goal, we'll dump our spouse as soon as he/she seems to be less attentive. But if we marry for teh glory of God, to model His love and commitment to our children, and to reveal His witness to the world, divorce makes no sense. -- Gary Thomas, author

Chip Ingram, "Looking for Love":
*The goal of relationships is not fulfillment and self-actualization. It's not about discovering yourself, filling your need, meeting your desire. The goal of relationships is to please God.
*If you must be completed by another person, you will find that whatever they have to give you will never be enough. Only God, through his Son and through the Holy Spirit, can provide what each of us need to be complete. When we are whole and secure in Him, then we can approach a relationship in a healthy way.