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Day 33: Marriage

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So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. –Ephesians 5:33

Connect

A wedding is the moment a bride and groom become wife and husband.

It’s a ceremony in which we pledge to love each other as God loves us—which we can only do if we first know what His love for us is like.

It’s the day we vow to have and to hold each other, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death—all for God’s glory.

Ephesians 5:21 says: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

In a marriage, we can become more like God together. While marriage isn’t the only way a person can grow in virtue, getting holier together is part of marriage’s purpose.

But as author and pastor Timothy Keller put it in his book, The Meaning of Marriage, “Wedding vows are not a declaration of present love but a mutually binding promise of future love.”

It isn’t a celebration of love that already exists, but of love yet to come, making your yes to a spouse incredibly powerful.

Your yes to him or her is a no to everything that doesn’t align with your vows. Your yes to him or her connects you for life. Your yes creates a covenant that symbolizes God’s covenant with us, His people.

It’s beautiful.

As the Scriptures say, “'A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one." –Ephesians 5:31-32

Marriage isn’t just supposed to involve God. It’s supposed to be all about Him! But so are our lives—even while we’re single.

This series wasn’t just designed to prepare you to focus on God within a future marriage. It is creating space for you to focus on God, right now.

To seek Him with your whole heart.

To put Him first.

And to let Him love you.

It is His love, after all, that satisfies us—whether we’re single or not.

Pray

Thank You, Father, for showing me how to love by loving me fully. I know that the more aware I am of Your love for me, the better I become at loving myself and others. And so Lord, I am ready to experience Your love at a deeper level today.

Reflect

What is the purpose of marriage? What can you do if you date to ensure that a future marriage is focused on God? What can you do now to ensure that you stay focused on God as a single person?