Two Are Better Than One for They Will Receive Their Reward Together: Christ-Centered Marriages (Part 1)

 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.-1 Corinthians 7:7(kjv)

When it comes down to being single and being married...both are gifts from God. Usually when someone has a desire to get married, they have to present it to the Lord in order for God to guide them towards the proper fit for marriage. A lot of the times, there's humans that may seem fit to be married to, but there will always be something between you two that won't last, doesn't go together even with similarities and differences. You may have seemed like the perfect match for each other but sin blinds. As soon as a relationship is built with bad intentions, it's considered wrong to God and God's mercy will allow them to continue but God won't bless it with His presence. 

God knows the reason why we all make decisions. Marriage is a sacred gift to God and He doesn't take divorce lightly. God doesn't like divorce, but He also doesn't force someone to stay with someone they have no feelings for and aren't in love with. God is not going to allow someone to feel miserable within a marriage. It's not like Him to do so. Lots of the times, it's because you're aware of the fact that someone wasn't meant for you. Emotions, outward appearance, and pleasure were the reasons why you stayed with someone. It wasn't really due to the fact that God wanted you with them. You just made decisions based on temporary foundations and not on Christ. 

A lot of the time, divorces are due to not "feeling" excitement as the first time when getting married. The honeymoon phase, the butterflies in the stomach phase, just automatically goes away, and then, storms come, tempting situations to quit come and both aren't able to withstand it. Marriage is not just vows of I do's from two partners. It's a new field. A new life God gives. A new chapter God gives in order for people to know that He's real. He's real enough to use both couples to read each other. To hold each other accountable. To help each other continue in this life. It was never to harm one another, abuse and misuse each other. Relationships built on harming each other were never God's will for a relationship. The Bible mentions that we perish due to lack of knowledge in Hosea 4:6. The Bible reveals to us our condition. That's why when a verse speaks to us and confronts us, that's what the Bible was meant to do. To help us. Help us see the bad parts in us and the good parts of us. Sometimes brokenness leads to bad results. It causes conflict, lack of love, and lack of affection towards a person that loves you because you haven't been able to heal from what was hurting you or it can simply mean your heart starts to get cold because of circumstances that have occurred to you or your bad results within relationships. That's why the Bible mentions not to make quick decisions because there won't be any good results attached to those decisions. It is in Proverbs 28:25. God has a way of teaching us lessons and He unites couples for a purpose: what God has joined together, let no person separate (Matthew 19:6).

The Bible says that it isn't good for a man to be alone. But it also says that it is good to remain single as Paul was single. Every Christian has a destiny to fulfill here on earth. Whatever vision God has given you for your marriage, ensure that it will benefit not just you, but your spouse out of love. Do everything out of love. Two are better than one. So don't feel like you have to travel this life alone because in reality, you don't have to. Of course, we do have God but there are things you can't do on your own and you'll need someone there with you. Encouraging you, motivating you to keep going, and holding you accountable for what you do, don't do, say, and don't say. Someone who's going to help you heal, help you get back up, take care of you, and love God with you. 

Marriage is not just learning how to pay bills together, figuring out what's for dinner, and discussing what was our favorite part from bible study. Marriage is more than just an "I do commit to you." It's a place of refuge, a safe place where you can be there and feel at home when life demands a lot from us and when things seem to try to put us down. That's what God does, that's what faith can do when you wait for the right person and you decide not to settle but to simply wait for it's better for two to be on the same page than for two to not be on the same page and things start to crumble and the marriage doesn't obtain no reward from God from above. 

A Christ-centered marriage is more than just keeping Jesus at the center of it all. It's doing exactly what Jesus wants you both to do for His glory, glory alone. Not how the world thinks you both should be. But how Christ Jesus desires you both to be. It's about unbecoming old patterns to step into healthy patterns to bless not just you but your significant other. The world can say whatever they want in regarding to how they want their marriage but God expects the church to be different. It's obvious we are different and we are meant to be different so don't be surprised when people think you're different. 

Kingdom marriages must arise for God's glory in a world that needs proper examples of healthy, authentic, real marriages. Don't let the devil win. He's seeking to steal, kill, and destroy your marriage. Not just your mind. Be still, God is good and He'll see you through. 

Reference scriptures: 

Eccl.4:9

John 10:10