The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSample

Marriage: A Most Intimate Friendship

Marriage can be one of the most fulfilling spiritual friendships in life if it is continually cultivated. Many couples have never taken the time to nurture the spiritual life of their marriage by praying, studying God’s Word and sharing together. This passage weaves the relationship of marriage and the church into a moving testimony of love and presents a number of specific principles for developing spiritual vitality.

Note that Paul urges husbands and wives to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. They should value each other and serve each other, not only because of their devotion to each other, but also because of their devotion to Christ. Some have defined submission as “getting under and lifting up.” This image of submission is not a picture of domination or subjugation. Instead, it is an image of gracious, sacrificial service. Both husband and wife support each other so that both people become all that God created them to be.

It is also important that the Lord becomes the model for the entire marriage relationship. Husbands and wives cannot look only to human models, which so often fail in one way or another. Instead, they should follow Jesus’ model and lay down their lives for their spouses. When they find their security in Christ, marriage partners will also find the freedom to risk loving sacrificially as he loves.

The goal of a married couple should be to have a relationship that is without spot, wrinkle or blemish. Their marriage relationship should be an ongoing experience of grace and forgiveness. While no marriage will be perfect, the couple learns to face failure with confession and forgiveness, uprooting the weeds of bitterness and contention before they take firm root. Their marriage relationship establishes an environment in which it is safe to take risks for God, safe to fail, safe to dream and safe to rest.

A marriage relationship will always have an element of mystery. Spiritual growth brings a sense of wonder at the unsearchable riches of life in Christ. No one can fully fathom the depths of God’s wisdom and grace.

Putting It into Practice

If you are married, how has your marriage contributed to your spiritual growth? In what ways would you like your marriage to be a means of spiritual renewal? Do you see spiritual friendship as an element of your marriage? Consider how you can take steps to make this a reality.

Taken from NIV Spiritual Renewal Study Bible