He is Risen!

I can’t let Resurrection Sunday go by, without talking about the importance of letting the Lord have the central place in your marriage. First of all, it was He who created the marriage relationship, in Genesis 2:24. But, it is also he who sustains the marriage relationship, keeping us together and giving us the love that we need to express one to another.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us that “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” If there is anything that should be that threefold cord, is the marriage relationship. Many have tried, and still try, to have a twofold cord of marriage, yet these are often broken, even in Christian relationships.

The Holy Spirit showed me something a few month ago, while I was counseling a Christian couple. He said, “The marriage relationship is the greatest test of Christian character there is.” That floored me. I had always thought that other things would be the test; never had I thought that my marriage would be. Yet, as I looked at that bit of revelation, I came to understand that it was truth.

In marriage, we are much more likely to let the barriers to our inner self down. Oh, we might keep some defensive barriers up, but as far as our words and actions are concerned, it is in marriage that we are most likely to show our true colors. Only, what colors are we showing?

If we want to show Christ’s colors to our spouse, then we need Christ’s help. We can’t do it on our own. Yet, most Christians never bother to ask; instead, trying to make it on their own strength. Sadly, none of us have enough strength within ourselves to make it, without some sort of outside help. We need that help when things are good, let along how much more so we need it when things aren’t all that good.

Jesus came that we might have life, and that more abundantly (Jn 10:10). That “Life more abundantly” isn’t about our life in the sweet by and by, it’s talking about our life in the here and now. It means that when we let Jesus into the middle of our lives, not just in church, but in our everyday living, he becomes that third chord, which binds the other two together, making them stronger.

With His help, marriage can become the greatest experience that exists in this life. Yet, it can only happen if we let it. We can’t have an abundant life with a “church only” Christianity. Nor can we have an abundant marriage that way. We need to stop walking after the flesh in our marriages and let that become part of our spiritual life as well.

That doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the pleasures of marriage. It doesn’t mean that we put on a false piety, where we wouldn’t even think of having sex as part of our relationship. No, it means that we allow Christ’s love and His character to flow through us, towards our spouses, every moment of every day.

This Resurrection Sunday, why not let Christ resurrect your marriage?