God's Successful Marriage

  “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” — Proverbs 31:28 Motherhood changes through the years, but its impact never stops echoing. In a world that often reduces Mother’s Day to flowers, cards, and social media posts, it is easy to overlook the deeper reality of what motherhood truly is. It is not simply a title. It is years of pouring, carrying, teaching, comforting, correcting, sacrificing, praying, and loving in ways that often go unseen. It is holy work. Not because mothers are perfect, but because God has entrusted them with hearts, homes, and lives that help shape generations. Some mothers are just beginning the journey, carrying children they have not yet met. Others are learning how to survive sleepless nights and endless laundry. Some are walking the difficult years of raising teenagers. Others are standing in quieter homes now, watching grown children build lives of their own. And for many, Mother’s Day carries both gratitude an...

  Common Man Publications Strengthening Your Marriage One Day at a Time A 7-Day Devotional from God’s Successful Marriage Marriage is strengthened in the daily choices we make to love, forgive, honor, and remain faithful to the covenant God has given us. This devotional was written to encourage couples to return to those steady, God-honoring choices one day at a time. Whether you work through it together as husband and wife, reflect on it personally, or pass it along to another couple in need of encouragement, our prayer is that it will be both a blessing and a practical help. You can read the devotional directly below, or download the PDF to save for later. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:...

  Marriage has a way of becoming busy. Careers grow, children arrive, responsibilities increase, and financial priorities shift. The early days of dating — when couples seemed to naturally carve out time for one another — can slowly be replaced by schedules, obligations, and fatigue. What once felt effortless can begin to feel like another item on a long list of things to manage. Many couples assume the solution is more money, more time, or fewer responsibilities. Yet after thirty years of marriage, we have learned something different: intentional attention matters far more than financial ability . Some of the strongest moments in our marriage did not happen during seasons of abundance. They happened during lean years — young marriage, military life, tight budgets, and long work weeks. Yet we discovered something that has remained true through every stage of life: dating your spouse is not about spending money; it is about choosing pursuit. Scripture repeatedly warns about small ne...

  There is a kind of laughter that fills a room. And there is a kind of laughter that fills a marriage. One entertains. The other heals. The Bible speaks more about joy than we sometimes realize. And not just surface-level happiness — but a deep, settled, soul-rooted joy that comes from God Himself. “A cheerful heart is good medicine…” — Proverbs 17:22 “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” — Nehemiah 8:10 “Rejoice always.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Joy is not optional in the Christian life. It is commanded. And that means it belongs in marriage too. Young Couples Need to Hear This There will be seasons when money is tight. Seasons when pride gets loud. Seasons when exhaustion steals patience. We’ve walked through Marine Corps years. Financial stress. Near-divorce tension. Health battles. In those seasons, you don’t survive because everything is romantic. You survive because you remember you’re on the same team. Sometimes that looks like prayer. Sometimes that looks lik...

  When Pain Didn’t Leave, but Joy Still Showed Up I didn’t wake up healed. The pain was still there. The anxiety. The depression. The moral injury. The numbness. PTSD hadn’t gone anywhere. Nothing about my life suddenly became easier. And yet, on that day—at an amusement park with my wife and my 17-year-old daughter—I still had a good day. That alone felt worth paying attention to. Joy Without Conditions I wasn’t chasing happiness. I wasn’t trying to “make the most of it.” I wasn’t pretending things were okay. I was just present. For once, I wasn’t replaying the past or bracing for the future. I wasn’t fixing myself, explaining myself, or carrying everything else I’ve been holding. I was walking. Laughing. Standing in lines. Watching my daughter smile. Holding my wife’s hand. And somewhere in the middle of all that, joy showed up—uninvited, unexpected, and unearned. Scripture tells us: “Though sorrow may last for the night, joy comes in the morning.” — Psalm 30...