Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

It's good! We've spent the past several days examining what Jesus said concerning marriage. His words are recorded for us in the Gospel of Matthew, but they're actually based on another area in Scripture. Jesus began His discourse by saying, "Have you not read," which means He was directing His audience to something they were already familiar with. He was pointing them back to the account in Genesis where God created Adam and Eve. By doing so, Jesus is affirming and validating the Genesis record, meaning there's more marital truth for us to mine in there. Our first insight is found in something God said before He even created the woman: And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone..." Genesis 2:18 (NKJV) There was man, all alone. God saw it and said it wasn't good. This is in sharp contrast to everything else that had happened in Genesis up to this point, which was "good" and "very good" (Genesis 1:4, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, 1:25, 1:31). But now we have a "not good." What does this mean? It means there's a built-in need for companionship that's primarily met through a marital relationship. This isn't absolute, because the Bible recognizes those who carry a unique call of celibacy (Matthew 19:12, 1Corinthians 7:32). But generally speaking, marriage is God's way of meeting an inherent inadequacy in us. Marriage is good for us. It's important to remember this because sometimes those who've been married for a while can start to question this. Over time, marriage is mistaken for something keeping them from a more fulfilling life. Not according to God, who knows what we need better than we do. It's a simple yet profound truth that we can't afford to miss: When it comes to the institution of marriage...it's good! There was man, all alone. God saw it and said it wasn't good. Marriage is good! Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?