Honor Marriageনমুনা

Day 4: Honor Marriage as Husband and Wife

Husband and wife honor marriage by recognizing that their Marriage relationship is precious in the sight of God. They must be willing to protect, respect, and treasure it as a precious gift from God. Especially when there is a kind of dryness in marriage or when things are not how they used to be, both husband and wife, without waiting for the other, should be willing to remind one another about their invaluable Covenant relationship. Today many allow apathy to settle in marriage and assume that it is natural to feel that way. No - this is a lie of the enemy, which has driven many to say goodbye to the one they had promised to live with until death do them part.

Husband and wife honor marriage when they believe God created both man & woman as equal in Christ. We do not have to feel threatened by the differences we have. Our differences are there to complement & complete each other. Hence, we do not compete with each other.

Husband and wife honor marriage when they leave their parents & cleave one to another, thus becoming “ONE FLESH.” This process of leaving requires both husband and wife to step out of their parental covering and come under the covering of God (1 Corinthians 11:3). The process of becoming One-flesh is initiated by God on the day of the wedding – “who therefore God has joined together” and must be intentionally worked on thereafter.

Husband and wife honor marriage when they keep their marriage bed undefiled – Hebrews 13:4. Marriage is a sanctuary of God (Malachi 2:11 NIV); therefore, keeping it holy is of great importance. Any intimate friendship /relationship with the opposite or same sex is emotional adultery and marital unfaithfulness - Matthew 5:28. Such relationships may begin as an innocent, casual friendship but soon becomes a foothold for the enemy to defile the marriage bed and destroy the marriage (John 10:10a). Husband and wife must also remember that self-gratification is adultery (with oneself) and an act of unfaithfulness toward your spouse.

Finally honoring marriage means honoring one another. Your spouse is God’s gift to you – “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.” Proverbs 18:22. When did you last thank God for your spouse? We tend to take each other for granted, especially after the children arrive. But we must remember that our children will fly off the nest soon. Our investment in our marriage relationship would help us live a life of contentment and peace even in our old age.

Let us decide to honor marriage by not just staying in it but by actively honoring the relationship. Remember, by doing so, we are honoring the God of our marriage. Through our God–honoring marriage, God will be glorified.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for my spouse, a precious and good gift from You. Forgive me for taking her/him for granted. Forgive me for defiling my marriage bed, Precious Jesus. I pray You would cleanse me and my marriage bed with Your precious blood and make it holy. I thank You, Lord, for sanctifying me and my marriage. In Jesus’ name. Amen.