Let's examine three worldly views of marriage and contrast them with God's Word.
Worldly View #1: What's In It For Me?
The world approaches marriage expecting to GET something out of it. They look to GET happiness, entertainment, security, and sexual fulfillment. The pitfall to this approach is prevalent in our society: disillusionment. When people don't get what they expect from marriage, they give up.
God sees marriage quite differently. In Acts 20:35, Jesus sums this up when he says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Once we approach our marriage seeing what we can give, we will start experiencing true blessings.
Worldly View #2: A Conditional Agreement
The world sees marriage as a conditional agreement. As long as conditions are fulfilled, the agreement is upheld. Most of these conditions are unspoken and can be based on whether a spouse can continue to financially provide for the family, or whether he or she stays healthy or attractive.
God sees marriage as a covenant based solely on commitment with no room for conditions. He loves us unconditionally and commands us to love each other the same way.
Worldly View #3: The Fire Fizzles
The world expects marriage to grow stale, to deteriorate and, eventually, to fall apart. They believe that when two people marry, the chemistry disappears. What they don't realize is that this "chemistry" was created through hard work, such as cards, gifts, and carefully planned dates.
When a couple marries, the chemistry often "disappears" because the hard work disappears now that the "fun of the chase" is over!
God believes that the real pursuit begins when you say "I do!" In Genesis 2:24, God commands Adam to leave his parents and cleave to his wife. In the Hebrew, this word is dabaq, and it means to eagerly pursue; to chase after.
Hard work may not sound fun, but what sounds even less fun is a boring, fizzling relationship. The effort is well worth it.
Just like we expect our relationship with God to grow and become more exciting, we should expect our marriage relationship to grow and flourish.
A View From God's Word
Look away from how the world views marriage and follow after God's wonderful plan, see your marriage as...
- A place to give.
- A covenant based on unconditional love.
- An exciting relationship that keeps getting better.