"Give honor to marriage..." Hebrews 13:4
My husband and I recently started a devotional which focuses on marriage and the relationship. Tonight I am thinking about that relationship...and the relationship we have with Christ.
The bible refers to us as Christ's bride. So, in thinking about our marriage relationship with our spouse, we can learn from examining our relationship with Christ.
First, I think about sanctification. Our relationship with Christ continues to grow over time. It is not a straight path from us to him. It seems to have some ups and downs. But we never seem to go back to where we began, each dip down is a valley, but we do continue to grow as we make our way towards heaven. So, in our marriages we can expect some valleys, but the valleys will never take us back to those first days in our marriage. But we will never arrive to a final destination in our marriages...we can expect to always grow.
What does that process require from us? With Christ it takes us making the time to pray...communicate. Communication is important in our marriage, probably the MOST important factor. We need to express our hopes, dreams, desires, concerns, frustrations, mistakes....and we need to listen. We know the Lord is listening when we pray. He is paying attention. It is a two-way communication. We need to have that same kind of communication with our spouses...talking and listening.
Our relationship with Christ also requires for us to get to know more and more about him. We do not stay as we are in the relationship. We do this through study and by reading his word. In marriage, we need to get to know our spouse, and as they grow and change as a person we need to continue to get to know them. We need to ask questions. We need to pay attention to body language and moods. We need to listen as they express hopes and desires. We need to encourage and support them. People are not stagnant, and neither should our relationships be.
All relationships take work, but God has asked us to honor the convenant of marriage. If married we should be constantly moving in a direction to improve, and allowing God to always be in the center, leading and directing.
May you find salt and light in my words.
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