{"id":653,"date":"2023-11-23T12:58:34","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T23:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.cru.org\/familylifenz2023\/?p=653"},"modified":"2024-04-09T03:20:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T15:20:03","slug":"your-marriage-and-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familylife.nz\/articles\/your-marriage-and-the-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Marriage and the Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cKnowing how close I came to throwing away my marriage scares me\u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Recently we received this note from a couple who attended a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember<\/a> about 20 years ago, desperate to find some measure of resolve or tools to rekindle the flame<\/a> that once burned strong in their marriage.<\/p>\n
Twenty years later, with a full life behind them, filled with joys and struggles, raising kids and grandchildren, they reflect on the day they almost decided to give it all up. How did they get there? How does any couple signing those divorce documents end up there when only a few years ago they were standing in front of the altar with sparkles in their eyes?<\/p>\n
Drift.<\/em> That\u2019s how. A marriage can never be stagnant. It is always going somewhere. You are either growing on your journey towards oneness, or you\u2019re drifting apart. Every marriage finds itself somewhere on this spectrum between isolation and oneness.<\/p>\n
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There’s a bigger picture<\/h3>\n
Marriage isn\u2019t something we invented, it\u2019s God\u2019s idea. He designed man and woman and he had a blueprint in mind for what marriage is. Marriage is not only about the \u201cfor-life\u201d commitment a man and a woman make to one another, it\u2019s also the institution God chose to illustrate the gospel. Our story, His story, and this journey of becoming one, all intertwined on our walk with the Lord.<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t realised it by now, marriage is a big deal for God. So big that the Bible starts with a marriage, it ends with a marriage, and then there\u2019s a marriage ceremony right in the middle too. The writer of Ephesians says: \u201cThis is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one<\/strong>.\u201d <\/em>[Eph 5:32 NLT]<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been married for more than 2 minutes, then I\u2019m sure you can relate to the idea that marriage isn\u2019t always smooth sailing. We have our ups and our downs, at times we have to brave the stormy seas, but ultimately we are being shaped throughout the process.<\/p>\n
Your marriage will shape you<\/h3>\n
We are being shaped as husband and wife, whilst also being shaped into the character of Christ as we learn how to walk in forgiveness, grace, and selfless service to one another. This isn\u2019t always easy but like Ruth Graham Bell famously said, \u201cA happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers\u201d<\/em>. Ain’t that the truth?<\/p>\n
If we can survive marriage we are telling God\u2019s story. Marriage is central to the gospel theme and we have an opportunity to not only survive, but thrive as we intentionally move towards oneness. It\u2019s a journey of surrendering our own selfish nature and submitting to each other in love.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s story, the gospel is all about how God had a dream<\/strong> for the world, man fell<\/strong>, He introduced the hope<\/strong> of restoration and then He sent us on mission<\/strong>; the great co-\u201dmission\u201d. Yes, it\u2019s a mission we all get to do together. We are co-labouring with God to live a hope-filled life that impacts our corner of the world.<\/p>\n
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