You And Me Forever: Marriage In Light Of EternitySample

"Death"

Pride is deadly to marriage because it takes a relationship between two people and attempts to focus it on only one person. When you find yourself desperate to win an argument, when you insist on casting the blame on your spouse, or when you allow yourself to be served more often than you serve, you are exhibiting the opposite of humility. While it might make you feel better in the short term, pride is guaranteed to ruin your marriage, and your life.

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). There are so many reasons to rid ourselves of pride and pursue humility, but none can compare with this. When we are prideful, God is actively opposing us. I can’t think of anything more terrifying. 

The call to follow Jesus is a call to die, to pick up your cross and follow Jesus, to lose your life so that you can find it. Or as Paul says, we are actually crucified with Christ: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

As popular as it may be to assume that we can “follow Jesus” without adjusting our lifestyle, Jesus was clear about what it costs to follow. If your marriage is going to be what God wants it to be, you’ll need to let go of yourself and start following Him—at any cost.

Discuss with your spouse: What would it mean to die to yourself in the context of your specific marriage?