Many marriages today end in divorce, and an increasing number of young people are questioning whether they need to get married before moving in together. Too many couples tolerate spousal unfaithfulness, and some Hollywood celebrities treat it as a “revolving door” type relationship. It is clear that this biblical relationship is under attack.
The world has a backward concept of marriage. Typically, there is great celebration at the engagement announcement, a large and expensive wedding followed by a party-themed reception, and then—nothing. In reality, the weeks, months, and years after the ceremony are what’s really important. When we embark on an important spiritual journey like marriage, making God the center of the relationship strengthens and sustains it. “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). The media tells us that the secret to a happy marriage is putting our spouse first instead of ourselves. This theory is only partially correct. However, to truly have a happy and blessed marriage couples need to put God first.
In the Bible, we read about Jesus blessing a wedding in a city in Galilee. The significant thing is that Jesus’ presence was specifically requested. “Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding” (John 2:2, NKJV). The miracle that accompanied His presence amazed all the guests. The takeaway is that Jesus won’t barge in to our marriage without being asked, but He definitely is needed to bring the relationship to a higher level.
The advice to put our spouse above all else seems innocent enough, until we realize that every relationship will eventually have issues that the husband, or the wife, can handle on their own. We’ve all heard about the stormy relationships some couples seem to have. In the books of Matthew and Mark, we can draw an analogy between those storms and when Jesus calmed the storm that threatened to drown His disciples. “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). A truly peaceful marriage is only found in God.
For a more realistic view of marriage, we can clear the stars out of our eyes. We must realize that although we love our spouse, sometimes we need supernatural help to remember our priorities. When we put God first in our marriage, everything else will fall into place. “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (Ephesians 5:21-25, 28).
Even with the best of intentions, husbands and wives are bound to make mistakes. Couples who think a commitment of this magnitude will be successful through their own efforts are mistaken. Inviting God into the marriage from the very start, and letting His Spirit provide guidance and direction at critical times, is the key to marital bliss.
Article first appeared Here. Creflo Dollar is the founder and senior pastor of World Changers Church International (WCCI) in College Park, Georgia, which serves nearly 30,000 members; World Changers Church-New York, which hosts over 6,000 worshippers each week; and a host of satellite churches, located in Los Angeles, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Washington, D.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas and Houston, Texas; and Carrollton, Norcross, Macon, and Marietta, Georgia. As mandated by God, Creflo Dollar’s goal is to establish 500 satellite churches around the world. With 30 years in ministry, Creflo Dollar is committed to bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to people all over the world, literally changing the world one person at a time.
