"I Take You"     Genesis 2; Malachi 2; Matthew 19

God's intention for marriage is lifetime commitment, because He knows our need for the security such a commitment brings. Genesis 2:23-25 is the very first recorded marriage vow. Adam publically declares that Eve is not just his wife, but she is also part of him. They are now one. That is God's intention for marriage from the very beginning. Today’s society glamorizes the wedding. By this, I mean to say that more time and energy is spent on the planning and choreography of the parties, showers, meals, and reception than on planning for marriage. God emphasizes the lifelong covenant.

According to scripture, a vow is a sacred promise or covenant between two or more people with God sealing the agreement. Marriage should start acknowledging that this is a special relationship between a man and a woman and that Christ should be the foundation and focus of this very special relationship. The purpose of marriage is to grow together physically, intimately, and spiritually.

Marriage is to be a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman with God sealing this vow, but today we often see marriage not so much as a covenant between man, woman, and God but more as a casual agreement that ends when the relationship is no longer fun or convenient. The idea of a vow that lasts until “death do us part” is rejected in today’s society, and the sad part is that the average Christian marriage has about the same chance of surviving as does a secular marriage. Divorce is the tearing apart of the foundation of all stable societies - the family. Sometimes, it is necessary; sometimes, it is unavoidable. Does the Bible permit divorce? Yes. Is it ever the best option? No.

According to scripture, only two occurrences warrant a divorce: if a spouse has been sexually immoral and is unwilling to repent (Matthew 19:8-9), or if a non-Christian spouse permanently deserts the Christian spouse (1 Corinthians 7:15). Even with these two scenarios, repeated attempts at reconciliation should be made. Divorce is always the last, and least desired option. It is permitted, but never promoted.

Christ takes the marriage vow very seriously — so seriously that He uses marriage to define His relationship with those who believe in Him. He demonstrated the ultimate vow by opening His arms wide on the cross with the thought in His head … “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

"In the Presence of God"     Genesis 1,2

Are you married? How did you prepare for your wedding? More importantly, how did you prepare for marriage? Do you ever wish that you were better prepared for marriage in the beginning?

In the wedding ceremony the minister traditionally says something along these lines: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD and these witnesses...." Have you ever thought much about that? Does God really concern Himself with our marriages? Of course He does! In fact, humans and human relationships were on God's mind as far back as the creation.

Human beings alone among God's creation are created "in His image". This statement by God implies that God created us in His spiritual likeness, mirroring His distinctive character traits. With a desire to emulate our Creator planted in our hearts, we will only find our greatest enjoyment in a personal relationship with Him that transforms us into His likeness.

In an interesting application of this principle, Jesus was tested concerning His allegiance to God or Caesar. In Matthew 22:21 Jesus answered, "Therefore, give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." In other words, if Caesar's image was stamped on something, he had a right to dictate how it was used. We have similar laws concerning how United States currency is handled. If God's image is stamped on us from creation, He has the right to use us however He chooses, and to dictate to us His guidelines for living.

Scripture states that humans were created by God "male and female", distinct genders that although different in many ways, relate to one another and indeed complement each other. When we try to change this arrangement of distinction and relation, we violate His guidelines and the very created order. Chaos and destruction are the inevitable result. It cannot work successfully unless we follow the Creator's guideline.

When God created man He realized that man was not as fulfilled alone as he could be with a companion. This is the first thing that God recognized in His creation as being "not good". It was not good for man to be alone. I personally agree wholeheartedly with that! God created a suitable helper for the man that was like him and yet distinct from him. I love to imagine the moment when God brought the woman to present her to the man. While the man was in a deep sleep God removed a rib from him, and fashioned this incredible creature. when the man had awakened, God brought her and presented man with this gift to be treasured.

God gave special attention to the creation of the man and the woman, placed them together, and blessed their relationship. He intends that relationship to be sacred. May we realize that we live together in our marriages "In the Presence of God", and that He has a perfect plan for making them work successfully.