Read Ephesians 5:31-33 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. What words are used to describe marriage in these verses?
2. What does marriage illustrate?
3. What does this mean for how husbands and wives should treat each other?
Reflect
God created marriage, and He designed a structure that makes healthy marriages possible. He is the foundation, but often we try to remove Him and implement our own design. Today’s verses bring us back to the basics.
When it comes to marriage, one of the best ways to describe it is the word covenant. This is far different from a contract relationship. Contract means we’re focused on getting what we want. Covenant is about what we can give. At the core of these definitions is the pursuit of holiness versus happiness. Not everything in marriage will make us happy, but everything can be used to make us holy.
Marriage is a God-designed structure to point to Jesus’ love for the church, and a marriage covenant is supposed to reflect the covenant God has made with us. Wherever we’ve tried to hijack it for our own desires, let’s bring it back to God’s purpose. Let’s make marriage about covenant, holiness, and giving. Let’s build a healthy structure on the foundation of Christ.
Respond
If you’re married, what small daily choices can you make to build healthy structure into your marriage? If you’re not married, what small daily choices can you make to build healthy structure in another close relationship? Write down at least two practical things you can do today, and follow through on one of them.