God's Purpose for Marriage Part 2

Part II. 

God created marriage to spread godliness throughout the earth

 

Gen. 1:26-31

"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
 
"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

"And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food."

'Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so."

Mankind, i.e. male and female are created in God’s image. We were created as relational, rational and moral creatures. God created us to spread godliness throughout the earth through covenant families. Thus, one of the prime reasons for getting married is to have children that will fill God’s earth with godly offspring. God created us to spread His love throughout the earth. God created us to spread His worship and knowledge throughout the earth. He created us to spread godly culture throughout the earth, Col. 1:16. says "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." even marriage.

What is the aim of your life?  Is it to spread godliness throughout the earth? Do you make conscious choices in light of how they enable you to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are you an active follower of Jesus or merely a casual church attendee? If spreading godliness and seeking God’s glory is not your primary agenda, then what is? Does your spouse know this?

Did you get married primarily to seek your own happiness or are you primarily hoping to pursue God’s glory in your marriage?  Glory to God is to acknowledge, demonstrate and display God’s significance, beauty, wisdom, love and power in Jesus Christ through our worship, witness and walk before Him. Pray about what your agenda is.  As God to search you heart.  Strive to see God’s purpose for marriage.  Remember the over riding theme is that our marriage isn’t meant to make us happy, but to glorify God.

 

Grace and Peace

God's Purpose for Marriage

If you are a Billy Joel fan or even if you are not, one of his songs called "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" shares a story about Brenda and Eddie.  Brenda and Eddie started out great and ended up divorced.  How many people do we know who become attracted and infatuated with each other, enjoyed a precious romance, beautiful wedding day and the inevitable sad divorce? How many people do we know who like Brenda and Eddie didn’t count on the tears? How many do we know who live a nice life style for a while, and then as a matter of course including kids, finances, jobs, focus on other things, end up in divorce? Why is a divorce such a matter of fact for so many who get married?

How many have gotten married with only a vague idea as to what they are getting into and the biblical purposes and reasons for marriage? Should we only get married to satisfy our sex drive, to multiply our family or thirst for companionship?

If you are married,why did you get married? Why did you marry the spouse you did? For your reasons, or God's reasons?  What did you expect from your marital union? Did you know it was a covenant between you, your spouse and God?  Did you get married to pursue God’s purposes for marriage or as millions of others, did you have a vague notion of perfection and thought that any problems and issues that came up would somehow work themselves out? How did you prepare for marriage? On your knees or in a bridal magazine?

I would like to touch on three of the purposes for marriage found in Scripture. Focusing on these purposes for marriage may help us get a true perspective of what God wants our marriages to be. A marriage that will glorify Him.  Moreover, it is by seeking God’s glory first and foremost in life and in marriage that we can best experience a life and marriage in which we live joyfully ever after.  I will go into each of the three in more detail in the next few days here in this blog, but to wet your appetite and give you something to think about they are:

1. God created marriage to spread godliness throughout the earth

2. God created marriage so to provide meaningful companionship

3. God created marriage to reflect His relationship with His people

10 Commandments Made Simple

 

(1) Just one God

(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa

(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'

(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'

(5) Put nothin' before God

(6) No foolin' around with another feller's gal

(7) No killin'

(8) Watch yer mouth

(9) Don't take what ain't yers

(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff

God's GPS for US

How nice it would be, if the Lord Himself gave us specific directions on how to proceed with our life on a day by day basis?  But guess What? That is  exactly what the Lord wants for  each of His children. These days, we have so many advanced technologies to give us directions to get anywhere we want to go, why can't God?

Well, His word talks about divine direction. God has a road map for each and every one of us. God knows exactly where He wants to take us. He knows the minute details of our life. He has the blue print for our whole life already before Him. We do not have to ask him to make a new plan for our lives. All we have to do it just fit into His plans for our lives. The Word of God declares in Jeremiah 29:11, ' For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope'. To get to the bigger picture, our God goes step by step. Though He knows the end from the beginning, He sees the whole parade at once, He does not tell you the destination right away. All He wants to tell you is one step at a time. And the Lord God Almighty orders each step.  Pick up your foot and let God put it where He wants it to go.

Steps are ordered:

The word that is mentioned in the Bible is ordered just like the way you order your food in a restaurant. You order as much as you can eat. In the same way, God orders our steps and steps that we are able to take. God's word says, 'He orders every step'. The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way (Ps 37:23).

Have you noticed the way we plan things in our life. Most of them do not happen at all. Sometime people are concerned about things that may not even come to pass. Still there are some who spend half of their time in just worrying about things that are irrelevant? The Bible says, 'A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps (Pro 16:9). Notice the word 'step'. Our God directs our steps.

Paths are directed:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths (Pro 3:5). The key to unlocking God's direction is by acknowledging Him in all our ways.

How to turn on God's GPS:

1. Pray:

Look at the prayer of David, a man after God's own heart. David was a king but yet He had the time to pray to the Lord God Almighty to show him His ways and teach him His paths. 'Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths' (Ps 25:4). Direct my steps by Your Word (Ps 119:136). Take God at His word when you pray. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye (Ps 32:8). Tell Him, 'Lord Jesus, I am here to ask for your directions in my life'. I do not want to go in my path but take me in Your ways, Lord. You will soon see God coming through.

2. Word of God:

God's word is the lamp unto your feet and a light to your path (Ps 119:105). After you have prayed, do not expect a prophet to come out, and put his hand on you give you a specific direction. That is not always the way God wants to work.  Expect God to reveal things from His heart to yours. He wants you to know His ways from His word. So while you are going through the Word of God, listen to the Holy Spirit for revelation from the word Write down the impressions and ideas He gives you. Let the truth He reveals to you settle in and begin to work in you.

3. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit:

The thing that we need to learn is patience.  We cannot hurry God into anything. The Bible calls it waiting. There is something called waiting upon the Lord that is so important in our spiritual walk. The Holy Spirit talks in a still small voice right in your heart. He loves to talk to us. When our heart is in the right place, we sure will hear Him speak to us.  Isaiah 30:21 says, 'Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it." Whether you turn to the right or turn to the left".  Jesus in John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” We need to fine tune our spiritual ears all the time so that we can hear Him.

God has given us a GPS, we just need to use it.
Grace and Peace