Thrive: Building Stronger Marriages . . . TogetherSample

For Better or for Worse

God’s Word tells us a lot about marriage. Though our customs may differ from those described in Scripture, the underlying principles of relationships remain the same. God has a lot to say about giving and receiving love. He has a lot to say about relationships and how to nurture growth. Why wouldn’t he? He created it all. The same God who created the universe created marriage—and he wants your marriage to work. 

We usually think of marriage as a story with two main characters: husband and wife. We’re the co-stars of our shared story. During the good times, we take full credit. During the not-so-good times, we tend to blame each other. 

But Scripture tells a different marriage story—one in which God not only plays a part but also has the starring role. 

When you invite God into the center of your marriage, your relationship as husband and wife is strengthened. A marriage is always most enjoyable when the couple depends on their heavenly Father. 

God’s portrait of the first human relationship (described in Genesis) and Jesus’s affirmation of it (Matthew 19:4–6) reflect how much God values marriage and how invested he is in your marriage. 

A husband and wife should be representatives of God’s love for each other. God wants to use you to express his love to your spouse. This isn’t a formula for a great marriage because there’s no guarantee your spouse will reciprocate your love. But being a representative of God’s love is the only way to experience marriage as God intended. 

God designed marriage to be a picture of the love of Jesus for all Christians. Everyone around you is supposed to see Jesus’s love in how you and your spouse relate to each other. Every marriage is meant to model what God has done for us through Jesus. 

If introducing God into your marriage is a new idea, that’s okay. Most couples include a Bible verse or two in their wedding ceremonies, but they don’t recognize God in the daily workings of their married lives. It’s easy when you’re in the middle of a parenting crisis or a financial disagreement to miss the opportunity to look for God. 

But something unique happens when a couple admits to God that they need him. God uses marriage to draw us closer to him and to help us experience what it’s like to love someone as he loves us.