God's Grand Design

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.”

~Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Being in love is a heady feeling, which is why people pursue love. It’s why writer’s write songs, poetry, books, and movie scripts about it, and singers croon about it. It’s something we all want and desire, dream of, and cry over. That feeling of falling in love, being in love, and searching for love is a driving force that has created a billion-dollar industry in dating sites. We want to fall in love and live happily ever after, yet, divorce is at an all-time high, infidelity is at an all-time high, and more people are living together without the benefit of marriage. So where did the human race go wrong when it comes to finding love? I suppose that is a question easier asked than answered.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).”

God designed marriage; it is a covenant between one man, one woman, and God. When God is removed from the equation, love and marriage no longer have the meaning they were intended. God is god of all—over all, above all, in all, around all, through all. And when we remove God from any part of our lives, chaos ensues. We see it all around us today in all parts of our society. God was removed from our schools and governments and the end result has been disastrous. There is no longer a clear-cut idea of right and wrong in society or in our personal lives. So, if society can’t handle life without the clear presence of God, how can we expect to handle our own lives without His presence in every aspect, including love and marriage? Our threefold cord in marriage is God, husband and wife. Remove any one of those members from the marriage, and it falls apart. We must be all in when it comes to our marriages—100% in the marriage 100% of the time because marriage is God's grand design.

“You husbands must be careful of your wives, being thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God’s blessings, and if you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not get ready answers (1 Peter 3:7).”

In a godly marriage, the husband is expected to do the heavy lifting in supporting his family, being a godly leader, showing his family how to live instead of telling them one thing and doing another. The husband is to follow Christ’s lead in loving and caring for his family, and when he does that, the wife and children will follow that lead. The contrary is true, if a husband is not leading by godly example, whether he knows it or not, he is still leading his family and they will follow the path he’s on. A man who abuses his wife will have children who learn that abuse is acceptable. Those children are likely to become abusers, bullies, and violent people, while those who are raised with love will likely become loving, caring people who put others’ needs before their own. Love is a learned concept just like everything else.

“Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God. That kind of deep beauty was seen in the saintly women of old, who trusted God and fitted in with their husbands’ plans (1 Peter 3:4-5).”

God created everything in perfect harmony, including our marriage relationship. Each husband is to love his wife and lead his family with caring and concern. Wives are also leaders in the family, a different kind of leadership role, but no less important. Women are to be gentle with their husbands, follow his lead, and to be kind and loving to her family. While men are leaders of the family, it is often the wives who are the spiritual backbone of the family teaching the ways of the Lord by what she does and how she expresses her love to her family. Women are gifted in ways men can never be, and while women may not have the physical strength of a man, they are gifted with stamina, endurance, strength of mind, courage, and fortitude. In the same way that Christ is the head of the church, and church leaders lead the congregation, it is a representation of the family. God is a family man, the ultimate father to us all, and He leads by example—being kind, faithful, patient, loving, and never giving up on any of us no matter how far we wander. It is His plan for His family to follow His lead and model our lives in the same way.

“If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever. Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him (1 Corinthians 13:3-7).”

Read Psalm 100-118

© 2018 Marie McGaha