Marriage Diagnoses Our Spiritual Condition
Eph 5:25-28a (NIV) Husbands, love your wives, JUST AS Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.
If we fail here, we have evidences of the seeds of failure that will show up in our ministry. The things that are causing the marriage relationship to struggle or fail are the things that will cause your ministry to struggle or fail. The things that cause the marriage to succeed, will enhance ministry. We all have major weaknesses in our relationship skills at the time we enter into marriage.
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These weaknesses usually show up right away when we get into such a close relationship with our spouse. These weaknesses are the things that block off the presence and power of God in and through our lives and ministries. They are the things that are currently blocking Jesus’ life and ministry from our life and ministry.
The characteristics of the misdeeds of the body show up and become obvious to both spouses. It helps us to grow in God as we face these failures in our marriage relationships. If we are going to succeed in marriage, we are going to have to grow in the character of God. The marriage relationship points out our areas of need. It serves as a great diagnostic tool for gauging our need to grow spiritually. It gives us those things in our attitudes and character that need prayer.
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