Yes He is Still The One...

Once a month, we have a bible study with a wonderful group of married couples from our church. Each month we study a different couple from the Bible.  Our time together is a wonderful and precious time of sharing the Word of the Lord, fellowship, and of course food (you can't get a group of Christians together without food). I have come to really cherish the time I get to spend with these couples each month, and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful conversations we share around the living room, time of sharing from our hearts about our marriages, and digging into the Bible to find the treasure there about what God wants us to learn about honoring our spouses and 

living a life that is glorifying to him. 

So often in life, young people have a poor example of what a good marriage is.  They see a very bad example of marriage in the media, and in marriages all around them in the world.  Society doesn't take marriage seriously, and quite often the marriages end in divorce, or are bad examples of what a marriage should be, unfortunately even in the church, there are a lot of people in marriages only serving their selves and not their mate. The success rate in marriage just seems to keep going down.

For years, we have talked to our daughters about marriage, and what God says about it.  God needs to be the center of a marriage, and the core of the relationship.  God should always come first in a marriage, then spouse, then children.  Marriages that put all the focus on self, often fail, but marriages that keep God foremost in the equation, have a much better chance of success, notice I said better chance, not a guarantee.

I think it is important to mentor young people to seek God first, in entering into a relationship, and to do it with much prayer, and consideration.  The heart is a fragile thing to hand over to just any person, and should be saved from needless harm and cherished deeply.  I think it is important to start early  in talking to your children, and helping them to seek a partner that fill Gods purpose for their life with much prayer, and Godly counsel.

We have counselled our daughters that Marriage is a lot of hard work, or should be.  When you say "I Do" you should be saying it for a life time.  It is something that should be considered carefully, and with much caution, because you will be with that person for the rest of your natural life.  Once the marriage brings children, there is a whole new period of learning and balancing that needs to be done. It is so important to keep working on the relationship with God and your spouse every day of your life.  I personally am really guilty of forgetting this on a day to day basis, but I know that in order to keep your marriage healthy and lasting it is important to keep working on Loving that spouse each and every day.  

Remember that you are a shining example to those around you of how God is or is not working in your life and in your marriage.  People are observant of what is happening around them, and are perceptive.  Be a good example of God working in your life, and in your marriage.  Those who will come to marriage after you are looking for good examples to follow.  Take the time to encourage young couples to love God and each other daily within their marriages.  Be a shining light of Christ to those around you by filling your heart and mind so much with Christ, that it just oozes out of you to those all around you.  

My wish for you, my friends, is that when you have been married to the love of your life for many, many years to come that you can look at that person and honestly and truly say..... 

"You are Still the One for me".