God's Successful Marriage

  Key Verse “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2 There are changes in marriage that you see coming. Children grow up. Careers change. Retirement eventually appears on the horizon. You may not know exactly what those seasons will look like, but you know they are probably coming. Health changes can be different. Sometimes there is warning and sometimes there isn't. A diagnosis can arrive during an ordinary week and divide life into before and after . An accident can change what one spouse is physically able to do. Chronic illness, disability, emotional struggles, pain, fatigue, or simply the effects of getting older can begin changing routines that once seemed permanent. And when someone's health changes, the marriage changes with it. That does not necessarily mean the marriage becomes worse. But it does mean that something the couple had learned how to live may suddenly have to be learned again. Roles may shift, the spouse who al...

Key Verse “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” — Galatians 6:9 There are seasons in marriage when serving one another feels almost effortless. You notice something that needs to be done, you do it, and you move on. You make the coffee. You pick something up at the store. You take care of a chore because you know your spouse has had a long day. These little acts of love do not require much thought because there is still something left in the tank. Then there are other seasons. There are seasons when both of you are tired before the day even begins. Work is demanding. The children or grandchildren need attention. Someone is dealing with health problems. Money is tight. Sleep is short. There are appointments, responsibilities, aging parents, household repairs, and all the ordinary things that somehow seem to arrive at the same time. You still love each other. That is not the problem. You are simply tired. And tired people do not always...

  God at the Center Was Never Just a Theme God’s Successful Marriage — Series Wrap-Up: God at the Center Key Verse: “ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ” -  Colossians 1:17 “God at the center” is one of those phrases Christian couples can agree with quickly. It sounds right. It belongs in a marriage conversation. It fits well in a wedding message, a Bible study, a counseling session, or a devotional thought. Most Christian husbands and wives would not argue against it. But agreement is not the same as surrender. Over this series, we have not simply been repeating a Christian catchphrase. We have been asking what it actually means for a marriage to be brought under the loving authority of God. Not God as decoration. Not God as the emergency contact when everything falls apart. Not God as the One we mention on Sunday, but quietly ignore when making decisions on Monday. God at the center means our marriage is under Him. It means our attitudes, words, pri...

  “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...

  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:...

Remembering Love: A Reflection on Series One God’s Successful Marriage When we began this series, the goal was simple: to remind ourselves what marriage was meant to be. Many couples enter marriage with good intentions, sincere promises, and genuine love for one another. But as the years pass, the pressures of work, responsibilities, and everyday life can slowly crowd out the habits that once strengthened the relationship. Series One was written as a reminder. Not a list of complicated strategies, but a return to the foundational attitudes and practices that help marriages remain strong over time. Rather than reteaching every lesson, this closing reflection simply walks back through the path we traveled together. 1. What A Godly Marriage Is Really About We began with the foundation: understanding what marriage is meant to reflect. A godly marriage is more than companionship or shared responsibilities. Scripture presents marriage as a covenant designed to reflect Christ’s lo...

  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...

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...