Daily Worship, Spirit and Word Aug. 8, 2024
How can two walk together except they be in agreement? The question makes us think about how The LORD calls a husband and a wife into unity. Many couples get married with no understanding of Christian unity or Christian marriage. So, instead of growing together, they grow apart.
“Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it.” Christ Jesus was able to do this without giving up His mission or vision. Christ Jesus came to earth with purpose. The bride was given to Him at the completion of it.
The bride is given to the husband as a “helpmeet” or “helper”. She is uniquely empowered with wisdom and understanding and is full of many talents and giftings. This can present a carnal couple with many problems.
The immature man thinks the wife should serve him. He might even falsely see her as a replacement of his mother. The truth is that the Christian man must learn to serve before he gets married. He must learn to honor. He really needs to come into his work and have a vision for his life prior to marriage. It may seem backwards, but he must become a “father” in his heart and soul before becoming a husband. This allows him to receive from his wife what she can help him with.
The immature woman focuses on herself as well. She knows her own abilities and may even try to manipulate or change the man into what she wants. However, the Christian woman must learn to submit her will in achievement of the vision and purpose given to her husband. She must learn to use her wisdom and talents to help him fulfill his purpose. She must become a “mother” in heart and soul before becoming a wife.
The Christian marriage reflects the unity of the relationship between Christ and the church. The church uses its many giftings and talents to “help” Christ fulfill His purpose. This is not to say that Christ Jesus did not finish the work of salvation. It means that Christ Jesus left a work for the church to complete. This work is also the purpose of Christ in the earth and He has chosen to not do it without the partnership of the church.
This kind of marriage is rare, even in the church. I am only now beginning to understand what it takes to have a unified marriage. Even two immature Christian people, like my wife and I were at ages 22 and 20, can grow into true fathers and mothers whose marriage exemplifies the relationship between Christ and the church if they are willing to keep loving each other in spite of mistakes and hardships. It’s been 34 years, and we are still working on it.