"As Long as We Both Shall Live": A 3-Day Marriage Plan預覽

For Better and Worse?

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)

Did you hear the one about the wedding ceremony of a young contract lawyer and his bride? When the minister got to the vows, he intoned, “Do you take this woman for better? For worse? For richer? For poorer? In sickness? And in health?”

He was startled to hear the groom cautiously reply, “Yes. No. Yes. No. No. And yes.”

Of course, we’d all like to sign up for the better, richer, and healthier parts when we get married and forget all that other stuff. But that’s not the way marriage works because that’s not the way life works.

In another wedding ceremony, this one real, the bride and groom pledged to stay married as long as they continued to love each other. Let’s hope they both know good divorce attorneys, because they’re going to need them. Relationships based on feelings are necessarily ephemeral and transitory. The only real stability in marriage is produced by firm commitments that hold two people steady when emotions are fluctuating wildly. Without such determination, even the best relationship is destined to disintegrate.

Questions for Today . . .

• Are you still as committed to your spouse as you were when you married?
• Are you prepared to “hang tough” when the going gets difficult?
• Why do you think so many couples don’t stay together?
• What kind of commitment does the Lord expect of you?
• What can you do to make sure your commitment to marriage stays strong?

Prayer . . .

Dear God, in Your presence I renew my whole-hearted choice to love. Bless this holy commitment with courage, strength, tenacity—and most of all joy! Amen.

(Excerpted from Dr. James and Shirley Dobson’s book, Night Light for Couples. Used with permission.)

Bonus Content: A Portrait of Marriage

Even before sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, God created marriage as a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church. This is how precious this institution is to our Heavenly Father. In this video, Matt and Ariel Holcomb paint a beautiful portrait of this Holy covenant, and explain why Christians should try to avoid a divorce, and instead seek godly counsel to bring healing and reconciliation.