We are getting ready to begin a new series at our church called Marriage Matters. We will be looking at the marriage passage from Ephesians five for the next several weeks, and take a good look at the concept of marriage, the structure of marriage, the purpose of marriage, and more. I chose the title for this series as sort of a double meaning: we are looking at marriage matters because marriage, well… matters.
It’s important. In a culture where marriage has become disposable, we need to make strong commitments to our wives and families.
Allow me to give you an illustration. My grandfather passed away just a few years ago. Right before his death, he and my grandmother celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Seventy years together! That’s a huge amount of time, and a major accomplishment! And that is pretty common to see in that generation. Many marriages are celebrating their 40th, their 50th, their 60th anniversary.
But take a look at my own generation. I’m in my mid-forties. Most of the people I know in my own age bracket have experienced divorce. Many more than once. Others have never married, or waited until their thirties or later to do so. When my generation reaches the age where a 70th wedding anniversary is possible, there won’t be very many at all who will be able to achieve it. That is disheartening.
Marriage is a sacred thing, and God designed it with a distinct purpose and reason. It can be difficult to discern that reason, that purpose, that design, because there are so many conflicting messages about marriage in our world. In order to understand the point of marriage, we must immerse ourselves in what Scripture has to say about it.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll sharing here some of the insights I gain as I study Ephesians five for this series. I hope they will be encouraging to you as you seek to strengthen your marriage.
In the meantime, I have a couple of suggestions for you. First of all, go read the marriage passage in Ephesians 5:21-33. Read it more than once. Read it slowly. Allow it to soak in to you as you read it and meditate on it. Dig into the passage and really think about what it means.
Second of all, go sign up for Todd Wilson’s newsletter. He runs a ministry called The Familyman, and sends out an email weekly. He has also created the hashtag #stayingmarried. Search that on Facebook or Twitter and read some of the encouraging posts that pop up. Maybe even add one of your own.
Because marriage matters!
Be deliberate, men!
How long have you been married? What do you look forward to as you move forward into a long marriage together? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.