Being Real In Our MarriagesSample

It’s about changing my attitude & not my spouse’s 

A Christian principle advised to those  getting ready for marriage is, to find someone who has the same Christian faith and goals in life – equally yoked. The advice is practical but what happens when there is a conflict in our beliefs. We see this situation in the life of Job and his wife. 

The Bible mentions Job as a devout man of God  but is silent about his wife, except that when disaster struck she wanted Job to curse God and die -  a normal response to disaster in our lives. There is no further mention of Job’s wife, did she repent…? Did she have any consequences to face…? Speculation is that she was blessed with a double portion of the blessing that Job received. 

The lesson we learn from Job’s life is, that even when our spouse chooses to be angry and move away from God, we need to hold steadfast to God like Job. In doing so we would be a channel of blessing for our spouse and ultimately our family. This is why Paul in Corinthians mentions, 'For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage.' (NLT version)

When we start applying this principle in our  lives instead of finding faults with our spouse, we start showing love to them just as Christ loved them. The earthly love is usually guided by actions and feelings. The love God wants us to have for our spouse is beyond what we can show them in our human strength. 

Many a times we may love our spouse but they may not feel it because of circumstances. Job's wife must have felt frustrated with Job holding on to God in the hopeless situation. The fear and love for God prevented Job from following the advice of his wife. God is our hope and guide when the fear, and love for God, prevents us from showing behavior expected by our spouse. 

We cannot change our spouse or their attitudes but we can definitely change ourselves to reflect and respond with God's love. Let us be the spouse who is willing to go the extra mile, God being our helper. Only when both spouses choose to take instruction from God can they be equally yoked. 

As we end this devotion may our lives reflect God in our marriages as we strive to become more like Him...