ICS Daily Devotions
God’s Plan For Marriage
Gen 2:23-24 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
God intended a permanent and committed marriage. He created for Adam a helper comparable to him because it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, and Adam and Eve were to be “one flesh”. The married couple is “one flesh” not just in the physical union, but also “one” in goals, directions, emotions, minds and spirits—they move through life together as a single entity. This is God’s original plan and His desire for our marriages today. His plan also includes us staying connected with Him like a 3-stranded chord which cannot be easily broken.
God has given us a picture of what our lives will be like when we have a covenant with Him. It is an abundant and eternal life. He has promised to be with us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and He will never leave us or forsake us, because He has bound himself to love us when He established a New Covenant with us through the blood of Jesus Christ.
The marriage vow is written with reference to God’s covenant with us. It is established on a binding agreement to love and never to part from one another. It is a commitment to each other, a promise and an assurance of love—a vision of what marriage looks like.
I,__, take you , __to be my wedded wife (husband). I will be a husband (wife) to you according to God’s holy word. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish. With God’s help, I commit to nourish and cherish you, to treat you kindly and tenderly and to honor you as my beloved wife (honour and esteem you as the head of our home and to stand by your side and support you through the challenges of life). I will provide for you, pray for you, encourage you and prefer you before myself (My endeavor shall always be to make us a home where love and peace abide. I will pray for you, encourage you and prefer you before myself). I will love and treasure (respect) you till death do us part.
Sermon Series: Divorce Paper
