God's Successful Marriage

  “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” — Psalm 138:8 There is something in most of us that wants to fix whatever is broken. When something in the house stops working, we look for the right tool. When a plan falls apart, we begin making another one. When someone we love is hurting, we search for the right words, the right answer, or the right action that will make everything better. That instinct is not always wrong. Marriage requires effort. Difficult conversations should not be avoided. Apologies should not be postponed. Wounds should not be ignored, and unhealthy patterns should not be allowed to continue simply because addressing them is uncomfortable. But there are moments in marriage when effort does not seem to be enough. You have prayed, but the situation has not changed. You have talked, but the conversation keeps returning to the same place. You have apologized, forgiven, served, w...

  There is a quiet truth many couples carry but rarely say out loud: Praying together feels harder than it should. We can talk about schedules, bills, children, and even deep struggles—but when it comes time to pray together, something tightens. Words feel awkward. Timing feels off. One leads, the other listens. Sometimes both wait for the other to start… and neither does. So the moment passes. Not because we don’t love God. Not because we don’t love each other. But because spiritual intimacy doesn’t always come naturally—it must be learned. Why It Feels So Hard For many of us, prayer has always been personal. It is where we are most vulnerable with God—honest, unfiltered, sometimes even unsure. Inviting your spouse into that space can feel like opening a door you’ve kept closed for years. There can also be unspoken fears: “What if I don’t say the right words?” “What if this feels forced?” “What if my spouse is more spiritual than I am?” So instead of ...

  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:...

  Early in marriage, encouragement comes naturally. Newly married couples often speak admiration freely. Compliments come easily. Gratitude is expressed often. There is excitement in discovering the good qualities in the person you married. But over time, something subtle happens in many marriages. Life becomes busy. Responsibilities increase. Children arrive. Work schedules tighten. Bills need to be paid. Stress has a way of crowding the margins of daily life. Slowly, encouragement begins to fade from everyday conversation. It usually isn’t replaced with hostility. Instead, it is often replaced with silence. Yet Scripture reminds us that words carry tremendous power , especially within marriage. Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (KJV) The Bible repeatedly teaches that our words shape the environment around us. Nowhere is that more evident than within the home. Your spouse hears your voice more than ...

  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...

  Valentine’s Day has a way of stirring something inside us. Flowers. Chocolates. Cards with words we wish we had written ourselves. Candlelit dinners. Maybe a little friendly debate over who forgot to make reservations. It’s a sweet day. But if we’re not careful, it becomes only that — sweet. And biblical love is far more than sweet. The Love We Want… and the Love We’re Called To We all love the idea of romance. The butterflies. The surprises. The thoughtful gestures. The “I still choose you” moments. But Scripture paints a picture of love that is deeper than a dinner reservation. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13 Holy Bible That’s not chocolate-box love. That’s sacrificial love. That’s cross-shaped love. And that’s the love Jesus has for us. The Love That Came First Before we ever bought flowers… Before we ever said “I do”… Before we ever got marriage right (or wrong)… God loved us. “But God demonstrates His own l...

There comes a moment in every marriage when the butterflies settle… the wedding photos fade into frames… the vows become daily life… And you look at each other and think: “Why does this feel so hard?” No one puts that in the wedding cards. We celebrate romance. We celebrate passion. We celebrate the honeymoon. But we rarely celebrate effort. Yet effort is where love becomes real. Love Was Never Meant to Be Effortless The world tells us that if it’s “meant to be,” it will feel easy. Scripture tells us something very different. “Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18 Love is action. Action requires effort. Effort requires intention. And intention requires maturity. When we wrote about “Love Is an Action” in Series 1, we acknowledged something many couples avoid: feelings fluctuate. But covenant does not. Even the apostle Paul describes love not as a feeling but as discipline: “Love is patient, love is kind… it always protects, always...

The wedding day is unforgettable. The music. The vows. The promises spoken with steady voices and hopeful hearts. Surrounded by family and friends, we declare lifelong commitment in a single moment. But somewhere between the final dance and the ordinary routines of married life, something subtle happens. We don’t break our vows. We forget them. Not intentionally. Not maliciously . We simply stop living with the same awareness we had on that sacred day. Marriage doesn’t fall apart because love disappears. It weakens when we forget what love requires. We Forget That Marriage Is a Covenant, Not a Contract At the altar, marriage feels holy because it is. Scripture reminds us that marriage is not a casual agreement but a covenant before God: “Though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.” — Malachi 2:14 A contract protects personal interests. A covenant binds hearts, futures, and responsibility. After the wedding, it’s easy to slip into consumer thinking: Am I ...

Today is National Spouses Day —a day set aside to pause, reflect, and give thanks for the person who walks beside us through life. It’s not a day about grand gestures or social media perfection. It’s a day about gratitude. About recognizing the quiet faithfulness, shared burdens, laughter, tears, and commitment that define a marriage over time. Scripture reminds us plainly and powerfully: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” — Proverbs 18:22 That verse doesn’t say finds a perfect wife or finds an easy marriage. It says finds a good thing. A gift. A blessing. A favor from God Himself. Marriage as a Gift, Not an Accessory So often, culture treats marriage as an accessory to happiness—something that serves us as long as it feels good. Scripture teaches the opposite. Marriage is a sacred gift designed by God, not merely for companionship, but for growth, refinement, and shared purpose. Ecclesiastes tells us: “Two are better than one, because...

The Cultural Lie About Love Our culture teaches that love is something you fall into—and just as easily, something you fall out of. Movies, music, and social media reinforce the idea that love is primarily a feeling, driven by emotion, chemistry, and personal fulfillment. But Scripture paints a radically different picture. Biblical love is not measured by how we feel, but by how we act, especially when feelings are absent. If love were merely a feeling, Jesus could never have commanded it. Yet He did. Jesus Redefines Love by the Cross In John 15:13, Jesus gives us the ultimate definition of love—not butterflies, not passion, not romance—but sacrifice. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life…” Jesus spoke these words before the cross, knowing full well what obedience would cost Him. Love, in its truest form, is the decision to put someone else’s good above your own comfort, pride, and preferences. This is not abstract theology. This is the blueprint for ma...