MARRIAGE IS HARD WORK

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

1 Corinthians 7:25-28

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

My wife and I are in our thirtieth year of marriage. That’s a very long time to spend committed to one person.

Frankly, thirty years is a long time to do anything, right?

Now, it’s interesting to me that there is a parallel with working. Most people will work with one employer for a thirty year period before they can retire and this too requires great dedication and commitment.

So there are parallels between work and marriage but here’s something that isn’t a shared principle.

People aren’t supposed to retire from marriage at 30 years. Rather, the obligation runs much longer.

How much longer?

When a man and woman exchange their wedding vows, they make a vow to stay together as husband and wife “until death” makes them part. In other words, a husband and wife are to remain together until the Lord calls for one or the other.

Is this easy, a lifetime of spending every day with the same person?

Absolutely not. Ask any couple who have been together for a long time and they will tell you that marriage is hard work. It’s a labor of love that goes on for a lifetime.

Now this isn’t just a modern day ideal, the matter of a man and a woman coming together until death. The Bible is rife with guidance on marriage and if you look at it, divorce is not endorsed or encouraged. Not at all. It’s clear that God’s word commands couples to remain married for the absolute long haul. God making adultery a chief sin worthy of one of His ten commandments shows that He expects complete fidelity in marital relationships.

By the time the Apostle Paul was out sharing the Gospel, these marital standards were already established by the Lord but not everyone was aware of them. This is why we find Paul writing these words to the Christians in Corinth:

Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. 1 Corinthians 7:25-28

Earlier in this chapter, Paul encourages the Corinthian Christians to not rush into marriage but to remain single if that works for them. Ditto for widowers.

Here we find Paul doubling down on this. If people are single and virgins, it’s okay. You don’t have to force the issue. But if a man or woman would meet someone they desired to marry, then matrimony was perfectly fine. It wasn’t a sin by any way, shape, or form but Paul wanted anyone having potential to marry to know one thing.

Marriage is hard work.

Getting married didn’t mean a person’s troubles would end. Two people working together wouldn’t necessarily see things any easier than a person trying to manage things solo. No, Paul lets his single readers know that marriage would bring many troubles in life. It wouldn’t be easy and Paul didn’t want a marital union to be a bad experience for anyone. And so he offered “judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy” with the goal of sparing singles from the hardship of entering into marriage without full awareness of what they were getting into.

Perhaps Paul should be speaking to singles today in our world. In a way, he is, right? Unfortunately, too many prospective husbands and wives, singles with potential for marriage, don’t read the Bible. They aren’t equipped with the wisdom found in the scriptures.

And so they jump into marriages before finding out just how hard it is to spend forever with one person. And when many troubles come into a marriage, either the husband, the wife, or both decide that it’s too hard and not worth remaining together. Many times, they divorce with never asking God for His help, for His wisdom and strength and provision to get them through the tough times when they come.

Yes, marriage is hard work but it’s definitely manageable if you allow the Lord to help you manage. My wife and I can testify to that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com