“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud…, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs… It always protects, always trusts,…, always perseveres”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
A loveless marriage causes bankruptcy in the relationship between a husband and a wife. A former U.S. Education Secretary attended a contemporary wedding where the bride and groom pledged in their vows to remain together, ‘As long as love shall last’. The Education Secretary advised the couple that if they want to build a great marriage that will last, they must concentrate on doing these four things:
1. Take responsibility for your own happiness – By blaming your mate you never have to face yourself honestly or change your own behaviour. Happiness is an inside job. It comes from having healthy self-esteem and a growing relationship with God.
2. Be a friend – We easily accept our friends as they are, yet have trouble doing that with the one we are married to. Our partners deserve at least the same respect, loyalty, patience, gratitude, and appreciation we give others.
3. Have a shared goal – You will always need something to plan for and work towards. This enriches the relationship and takes it to higher levels.
4. Have courage – The problem is not that there are problems but it’s expecting otherwise. It is thinking that having problems is the problem! You need courage to face whatever comes, to realise what you can’t solve, you can out-last and out-love. Love is the sole ingredient in a marriage that causes it to grow, develop, and mature. A loveless marriage leads to adultery and consequently divorce. In order to preserve our marriage from the charms of the bond women, we need to be disciplined and exercise self-control.
Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist and first black President of South Africa, declared that “Marriage does not cure lust. If it did, adultery would not exist. Self-control is still a requirement. Lust does not care if you are married or single. You may be a Solomon in wisdom, a David in Praise, an Abraham in faith, or a Joshua in war, but if you are not a Joseph in discipline, you will end up like a Samson in destruction”.
Thus, we are duty-bound to preserve God’s institution of marriage – to demonstrate to the world what a good marriage is. Are you ready to fight bankruptcy in your marriage?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, grant us the strength to hold fast to our vows. When we were married, we promised to love, honour, and cherish each other as long as we both shall live. And so we ask that You teach us to love the way we should, with patience, kindness, forgiveness, and grace in Jesus’s name, Amen.
Read: 1 Peter 3:1-7; 1 Peter 4:8; Exodus 20:14; Colossians 3:13-14
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 93; I Corinthians 5; I Chronicles 28; I Chronicles 29
