His Mission, Our Marriage: Building a Christ-Centered MarriageSample

Mission field: Your Mindset

Are you settling for a selfish vision of marriage, or are you living on mission, pursuing God’s purpose in and through it? Are you conforming to the ideas of this world that Paul warns us against in Romans 12:2 when he tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will?"

When I think about the marriage messages that our world tells us, I think about the message that “our spouse should make us happy," bring us validation and acceptance, and agree with us. But God’s truth is that marriage is about much more than how your spouse makes you feel. God has an incredible purpose for marriage.

Some of God’s purposes for marriage are:

• A safe relationship (covenant); a foundation for a healthy family and community.
• Our sanctification — growing us to be more like Him. “Iron sharpens Iron.” Proverbs 27:17 shows us that.
• To mutually encourage each other's faith. You and your spouse can encourage one another as you grow in godliness, as marriage offers you opportunities to confront your own selfishness and lay your preferences down.

One of my good friends uses Romans 1:12, “That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,” as a marriage verse to inspire them to keep faith at the center of their marriage.

How can you stay inspired to have a Kingdom mindset about your marriage?

How do you view your spouse? Are you looking for someone to make you feel happy and loved?

Are you proactively looking for ways to uplift and encourage your spouse? Do you seek to point them toward Jesus?

Today, I challenge you to pray that God would help you have a mindset of Kingdom mission within your marriage. Pray that God would use your marriage to sanctify you and that he would guide you to mutually encourage each other’s faith.