The Week in Review

Invest in Your Marriage and Reap the Benefits

Often times we, as married people are so busy with life that we neglect the importance of investing in our marriage. We become busy with life and we may soon find ourselves married to a stranger. How do we fight against growing apart?

50% of marriages will end in divorce. While this is a projection, it is said to be close to the norm. The Barna Group statistics show that Christian marriages are slightly higher than any other faith. However, those that have marital counseling before they are married are more likely to survive. It is said that out of those marriages that have counseling 1 in 39,000 will end in divorce that is 0.000256 percent.

We have all heard the saying, a family that prays together, stays together. This saying has much truth in it. It is important that married people spend time in the Word to help them with right expectations. This is one of the greatest weapons, I believe, the enemy uses to destroy us. If we have false expectations about what our spouses should do for us, we begin to doubt if this is the person we should be married to. The first thing we can do to protect our marriages is look to God and ask him what should be our expectations. We would quickly find that our spouses are not to be the source of our joy and happiness.

Yes, we promise in our vows that we write to do everything to make each other happy, but it is a promise we are not able to keep. No matter what you do to try to make your spouse happy you will fall short. The reason is our total happiness should not come from each other. Our true happiness has to come from God. When we seek God for our joy and happiness, this is what makes us “full”. When we are full (like a pitcher of water) then whatever is added to the pitcher is the overflow. So when my husband is home on time, it is the overflow, when he’s late, I’m still full so it does not take away from my fullness.

“and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19). When we understand and know the love of God, this is what will fill our lives to the fullness of God. Is there anything fuller than that?

1. The first step in investing in our marriage is to seek our happiness and joy from the right source.

Lord, today I pray for marriages. Help us to invest wisely in our marriages by first allowing you to work in us your fullness. Help us to bring ourselves to you so that you can accomplish in us what needs to be accomplished. Help us to find our source of joy and happiness in our fellowship with you. When we do, then we have much to offer in marriage. Amen.