THE BIBLE’S FORMULA FOR A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE.

I don’t have all the answers regarding this subject. I will say that I have some and I want to share them so that they may help others who are struggling. My wife and I have been married 56 years and 4 months. There have been many bumps in our journey together. Through the grace of God, we have overcome them and are continuing to learn more as we go on down our pathway of life. Will it be smooth sailing? Probably not. One of the main things we have learned is that Satan hates God’s creation of families and does all he can to destroy them. As I point out some verses from God’s Word, you must work hard to put them in place. God gave us the instructions just as you get instructions for putting things together. Just as you are expected to read and follow the instructions for your finished product, you are expected to follow God’s instruction for a successful marriage. God has put into place all that you are to follow, it is now up to you. Don’t give up!

Here are few suggestions in order to enjoy a happy life together. Before I refer you to Scripture, I want to say that when you marry the love of your life, there is a life changing factor that must come into play. That is, everything is no longer about me. Everything is now about my other half. You must change your way of thinking and concentrate on the other half. Is this not what Jesus has done for His bride to be? He is our example. We must believe in and trust the one we love.

The responsibility for a successful marriage lies more on the husband than the wife.

Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Proverbs 5:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (NIV)

⁹ Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

I must comment on these verses as the first part of verse 25 says something that I believe men need to understand about the way God created us. It says that men are to love their wives. Nowhere does it say that woman is to love their husband. Men need to understand that if he loves his wife in a Godly fashion, the wife will automatically respond to that love. In other words, since Jesus loves you, you respond to His love. This is a factor that I believe is missing in some marriages. The next reference is also important.

1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)

⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

1 Corinthians 7:5 (NIV)

⁵ Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

I bring this to your attention since this seems to be one of the major problems in marriages. This is in regards to your sexual relations.

Now I know that many people will refer to Romans 7:2, Ephesians 5:22and 1 Peter 3:1 in order to contradict what I have said. If you study these Scriptures you will see that submission does not mean that you are to rule their lives. Also, I want to point out that we do not live under the old law but under the grace of God in case you refer to the Old Testament.  Put in perspective what Jesus is saying to His Bride of which the saved belong. Does He rule your life if you don’t want Him to? God did not create woman for man to rule over them. He created them equal.

Will there still be problems? Yes, that is life due to Satan and his destructive ways since the Garden of Eden. Resist the Devil in the name of Jesus and by the power of His blood and he will flee from you. You only have this one physical life here on earth. Make it a wonderful life as that is what Jesus wants.