Make Ready, Before You Say, “I DO”!
Yes, before you say, “I do!” make sure you ready!
Marriage is a sacred union that brings together a man and woman into a binding covenant that is entwined with the Spirit of God to bring forth His will in the earth.
Marriage has to be greater than just a emotional bond in order for the husband and wife to maintain the oneness and ability to remain in a lifelong commitment to each other.
It is more powerful than a feeling of admiration and endearment.
It is a spiritual dimension of loyalty between a husband and wife that is able to maintain the vows of obedience and submission to the will of God to fulfill the commandment that is associated with marriage.
It is the expression of God’s agape love that He has for mankind.
It is that expression of love that causes a husband and wife to fight for the union of their covenant of obedience to the LORD.
When we marry, we are saying, “God, I submit to your will concerning your choice for who I am supposed to be in covenant with, to continue to fulfill the assignment that is connected to the joining together of one man to one woman in marriage.”
We are saying, “God, I am willing to surrender my personal will to partake in the increase of Your Kingdom on the earth, by binding myself totally and completely to this vessel that I am willing to remain with, through every warfare that comes to challenge our purpose together.”
We are saying, “God, we are dying to ourselves so that only Your Will can manifest between us.”
You see, marriage is not about our desires, but about God’s plan.
It’s about being in a unselfish relationship with somebody, so faithfully that I’m willing to adjust my life to accommodate the pains of becoming one with this person whom God has chosen and established for me, to live a lifetime with, so that the destiny of mankind and the Love of God can be displayed through our marriage union.
You see, marriage is a deep mystery that can only be understood by somebody who understands the mind and heart of God.
Marriage is the divine image of Christ’s Love and Passion for His People.
To enter into marriage without this understanding, does the marriage an injustice, because the depth of marriage goes beyond the erotic love that many marry for.
I began to ponder on a portion of scripture in Song of Solomon 8:6 about love.
“Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy as cruel as the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement flame.”
The depth of our love for Christ should be our pattern of how we should love our husband or wife.
That love should have the ability to go through whatever difficulties that will arise in the marriage to shake it from its stable foundation of endurance.
It is this commitment that brings in the assurance that binds the couple together in faith and trust that they will be sustained throughout the marriage because of the unfailing vow of dedication toward God and each other.
Just as Christ obedient love on the cross saw pass the agony pain persecution of all He had to face the obedient love between a husband and wife toward the will of God and their commitment to each other sees what Christ saw the joy that was set before Him because of Him pleasing God.
When a husband and wife understands the abiding love of Christ then the husband has the ability to forsake all others and cling to his wife and the wife has the ability to submit to her husband and reverence him.
Both understand that what they have is greater than death because love is a eternal mystery that goes far beyond a mere human emotion.
This is a season of marriage but before you do make sure you can handle the weight of the love that is required to sustain it!
~ Apostle Barbara R. Thomas
Apostle Barbara R. Thomas is founder of I Come to Heal Ministries, A Woman’s touch Ministry, The Next Dimension Global Outreach Ministries and Spoken Word School of Ministry and is on a mission, traveling the world, proclaiming the Gospel, for souls to be won to the Kingdom of God. She has life mandate to help bring others to their divine purpose.
Halleluyah! Love it apostle.So true.