Together As One
ICS Daily Devotions
Ephesians 5:25,29 (Amplified) Husbands, love your wives [seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love], just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,…For no one ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
A blood covenant is the closest, most enduring, most solemn, and most sacred of all contracts. When you enter a blood covenant with someone, you promise to give them your life, your love, and your protection forever, “till death do you part”. It is a binding and unbreakable agreement in the absolute union of two parties. A covenant is the only secure foundation for a happy, fulfilling, and lasting marriage. Recognising the meaning of covenant will help us understand the importance of being “one”.
1 Corinthians 13:4a (NKJV) Love suffers long and is kind.
A husband needs to understand that his wife may lack a sense of security because she may have given up her job, income and career to look after the children. Since love is kind, he should ensure that his wife is not limited to having only a household allowance but also well cared for so she can feel secure.
Couples should be reminded that in a covenant marriage, everything is shared. This means having a joint bank account where all the money is put, and all assets, such as houses, are in both names. This will provide a sense of security to the wife. Money matters can be more easily resolved when she has a joint account with you, and if it is something that is important to her, it should be equally important to you. This exercise of transparency will help the marriage mature and grow into what Christ has designed it to be.
Also, we must never hurt our marriage partner, whether verbally or physically. Even though they are not perfect beings and may have even caused us wrong, we should honour and remember the marriage vows we uttered to protect and nourish each other and to never betray their trust by being unfaithful.
We should also lay down our lives, our rights, and our privileges for our spouse. We need to let them know that they matter to us more than our job and our hobbies, and besides God, they are the top priority in our lives. This way, we can truly experience how God can unite two lives into “one flesh” and make it through storms and challenges together.
Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do
