God's Successful Marriage

  Key Verse “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (KJV) When the Roles in Your Marriage Begin to Change When a husband and wife first begin building their life together, they gradually find a rhythm. Responsibilities are divided, routines become familiar, and each spouse begins to understand what the other brings to the marriage. Some of those arrangements are discussed and agreed upon, while others simply develop over time. Before long, there are things that one spouse normally handles and things that the other takes care of without either having to think much about it. For a while, that arrangement may work quite well. Then life begins to change. Children grow up and no longer need the same kind of daily attention. A husband or wife changes jobs, accepts a promotion, or finds themselve...

  Key Verse “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” — 1 Corinthians 13:7 There is an interesting thing that happens somewhere in the middle years of marriage. You look across the room one day and realize that the person you married is still very much the person you married—and yet, in some ways, they are not. But in fact, neither are you. The face is familiar. The laugh is familiar. You can probably predict how they will order at a restaurant, which side of the bed they will sleep on, and exactly how they will react when someone loads the dishwasher incorrectly, but beneath all that familiarity, things are changing. Energy changes. Bodies change. Hormones change. Priorities change. Careers sometimes change. Children need us differently, or no longer need us in the same ways at all. Parents begin needing more of our attention. Things that once seemed important lose some of their shine, while things we barely noticed twenty years ago suddenly matter quit...

  Welcome to the World, Genevieve Leann - A Special Family Reflection from God’s Successful Marriage “ Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” — Psalm 127:3 There are moments in life that seem to stop time. For several hours, a family waits, prays, watches the clock, and hopes for good news. Then, in one beautiful moment, everything changes. A child takes her first breath, a mother and father meet their daughter, and a family grows larger. Today was one of those moments for our family - our third grandchild, Genevieve Leann, entered the world. As her grandfather, I find myself looking at her name and thinking about everything that name will one day represent. Today, she is a newborn daughter resting in the arms of her parents. In time, she will develop her own personality, her own laughter, her own interests, her own questions, and her own story. For now, however, she is simply Genevieve. She is precious, small, newly arrived, and already dee...

  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Matthew 6:33 There are some phrases we hear so often in Christian circles that we almost stop hearing them - “Put God first” is one of those phrases. It is true. It is biblical. It is needed. But if we are not careful, it can become one of those statements we agree with in church, repeat in conversation, and still struggle to live out in the everyday places of marriage. Most Christian couples would probably say they want God first in their home. They want a marriage that honors Him. They want their children to grow up seeing faith lived out. They want prayer, Scripture, love, forgiveness, and commitment to be part of their marriage. But then real life happens: The bills still have to be paid. The kids still need attention. Work still drains energy. The house still needs to be kept up. Feelings still get hurt. Words still come out wrong. Pride still shows up. Disappoi...

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children…” — Deuteronomy 6:6–7 There is a kind of legacy that can be measured in money, property, keepsakes, family photos, and names passed down through generations. Those things may have value, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to leave something meaningful behind for our children. But for the Christian husband and wife, the greatest legacy we can leave is not merely what our children receive from us. It is what they learn about Christ by watching us. Our children may forget some of the vacations. They may forget some of the birthday gifts. They may not remember every meal at the table or every ordinary day that seemed to pass without much significance. But they will remember the atmosphere of the home. They will remember how Dad spoke to Mom. They will remember how Mom responded to Dad. They will remember whether forgiveness was practiced or only preached. Th...

  There is a quiet temptation in marriage to think that if we love each other enough, pray enough, and stay committed enough, we should be able to handle everything on our own. And to be fair, there is a kind of strength that a husband and wife do need to build together. Marriage does require private faithfulness. It requires conversations no one else hears, prayers no one else knows about, forgiveness no one else sees, and daily choices that are made behind closed doors when no one is clapping and no one is watching. That private part of marriage matters deeply. But Christian marriage was never meant to be lived in isolation. God did not design marriage to replace the body of Christ. He did not call a husband and wife to become their own little island, disconnected from fellowship, worship, encouragement, accountability, counsel, and prayer. A strong marriage still needs community. Not because the marriage is failing, but because we are human. Every one of us, no matter how long w...