Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
Marriage is a gift of God’s favor to a couple. Marriage provides a display of oneness and completeness that puts the intelligent design of the Creator on display. In Eden following the creation of Adam, “Then he Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’” (Genesis 3:18) When a young man finds a wife, marriage is the evidence of God’s favor and designed fulfillment. Marriage displays divine wisdom and purpose for mankind and womankind unmatched by anything the world, the flesh, and the devil can conjure up.
The defiant outside the church, and unfortunately sometimes inside the church, don’t view marriage as a significant manifestation of the Lord’s favor. Marriage has been minimized and postponed for self-serving materialistic reasons. Marriage has also been put on hold so that self-gratification can be accomplished in a variety of godless mental, emotional, and physical ways that, though shameful, are sought as more fun and fulfilling than marriage can be. The Satanic lie that God is withholding fulfillment for His people is as old as the temptation of Eve in Eden (Genesis 3:1-7).
The fact that marriage is a gift of the Lord’s favor does not mean that Christian marriages don’t have battles with sin and selfishness. Every Christian married couple, both husband and wife, are in the process of becoming more humble and more obedient to the will and ways of Jesus. Thankfully, God is faithful in shaping and conforming husbands and wives to the image of Jesus Christ, their Savior and Lord (2 Corinthians 3:12-18). As Christ is formed in them, they find purpose and delight in the refining favor of God in marriage.
Unmarried people are not second-class citizens in the kingdom of heaven. The Lord is faithful in providing all that is needed for life and godliness through the knowledge of Jesus for unmarried and married people (2 Peter 1:3-11). That being said, Scripture clarifies that marriage and pursuing marital oneness in Christ are fulfilling blessings from the Lord.
Married couples are to live worshipfully and joyfully because of the divine favor they receive through marriage. Christian parents are to nurture and set their children's sights accordingly. What our Lord provides is better and more fulfilling than anything people godlessly seek.
Praise the Lord for His favor made known in marriage!
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