Wedding Challenge

When we discuss marriage, desire marriage and devote
ourselves in marriage…we come very close to God himself. Marriage comes very near
to the character and nature of God and comes directly in line with his design
for man and woman.


We have the privilege today of living out a very important aspect of our Creator’s design for us and
it should ignite something deep within each one of us. 


God’s first miracle for man was the creation of a woman for him out of his own rib and the performance of a marriage ceremony.


Jesus’ first miracle for man was the creation of wine out of water and the salvation of a
marriage celebration.


Today we are here to witness God, once again, perform a miracle at a wedding ceremony, the uniting
of two souls into one.


Live first for God


When asked what the ‘greatest commandment’ was Jesus said: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.'


Live second for each other and your children


After being asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus added
a second and said: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'


Major or the majors...minor on the minors


There are major things that should consume our time, our energy, our emotions and our wallet:
our love for God, our spouses’ desires and well being, our children’s faith and
upbringing, our concern for God’s will being ‘done on earth as it is being done
in heaven’. 

And there are minor things that should not take up nearly as much space in our hearts and plans: where we
should vacation this year, whether we should renovate the basement, ‘whose
movie’ we watch this Friday.


Resolve to spend major portions of your time, energy, emotions and money on the major things of
your life…and resolve to delegate an appropriate amount of concern for the
minor things of life.


Jesus said: “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?... But seek
first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to
you as well.”


When we keep our priorities straight, that is, inline with God’s word and will…the
rest will fall in it’s correct place.


Commit yourselves to true love

We can only know what true love is from God. He is love and
he is love’s best designer. The world knows very little of true love, a mere
shadow.


Paul writes: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.” 


True love has to do with making the first move. If you have been hurt, wronged or offended do
not wait for your spouse to approach you…you demonstrate your love by seeking
out the one ‘in the wrong’.


Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”


True love has to do with dying to self and serving others. You no longer exist for yourself,
but for your spouse. True love is laying down your rights, your preferences, and
your comforts for the sake of your spouse. You exist to lay yourself down for
your spouse.


Husbands and wives must recognize that in marriage you have
become one flesh. If you live for your private pleasure at the expense of your
spouse, you are living against yourself and destroying your joy. But if you
devote yourself with all your heart to the holy joy of your spouse, you will
also be living for your joy and making a marriage after the image of Christ and
His church.


Finally, Paul writes: “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in
all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God.”


True love has to do with security. We are eternally secure in our Heavenly Father’s love and in
your marriage your spouse should know that they are secure in your love and
commitment to them.

Staying married, is not mainly about staying in love. It is
about keeping a covenant. “Till death do us part” or “As long as we both shall
live” is a sacred covenant promise – the same kind Jesus made with His bride
when He died for her.


This means doing whatever necessary to uphold and defend
this sacred covenant, just as God has promised to do for us.