The Marriage Game PlanSample

GOD’S HEART FOR YOUR MARRIAGE

Can you imagine putting together a sixty-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle without having the complete picture from the box top? Even the most avid puzzle enthusiasts would feel frustrated and confused about how all the puzzle pieces fit together as they were designed to if they didn’t have the box-top image.

So, imagine how overwhelmed most married couples feel attempting to put the pieces of a successful relationship together without the end picture. Fortunately, we don’t have to guess how to put the puzzle called marriage together properly. We have the picture of marriage given to us in the Bible.

Another way we can view the Bible is as God’s playbook for relationships. Within the Bible’s sacred pages are answers, strategies, and best practices to help us win in our marriages.

When a team goes up against their opponent in a game, they are more successful when they work together, each one bringing their strengths and talents as well as doing their part to support the team toward the larger, common goal.

The same is true in marriage. As Ecclesiastes says, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble… A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10, v.12 NLT).

When couples truly believe they are better together, they can push past failure, hurt, and fears. This allows them to remain hopeful and ready to succeed. Having the right mindset helps you win the home game because it gives you the right perspective, and perspective is key. Holding on to a winning marriage mindset takes grit (the ability to dig deep), resilience (belief in your ability to overcome difficulty), and a willingness to grow, learn, and adjust. But most of all, it takes commitment to follow God’s playbook for your relationship.

Over the next four days, we’ll explore four main purposes God had in mind for marriage. From these four we can get a better understanding of how to make marriage work according to God’s incredible design.

How do you and your spouse currently support each other as a team? Where do you see opportunities to grow stronger together?