AS WE SAW IN YESTERDAY’S DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE, ST PETER’S BASILICA took over one hundred years to build. Precisely , 107 years. Do you suppose that the Vatican lacked the funds to have finished it in fewer number of years? I think not so. They had to build and stop from time to time to await the availability of vital and crucial building materials that were not immediately on hand. In other words, the construction of the colossal cathedral involved very many and diverse kinds of building materials. The building was more just the combination of sand, cement and wood.
Similarly, the construction of a Marriage that will last involves diverse building materials. However, unlike the case of St. Peter’s Basilica that some of the building materials weren’t instantly available all the time, the construction materials for building a successful marriage are ALWAYS readily available because God long ago provided them for married couples in His Word! Let’s look at some of them.
(1) WIFELY SUBMISSION
“22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” (Ephesians 5: 22-24)
One of the building materials for the construction of a strong and long lasting marriage is the wife’s submission to her husband as commanded by God in the portion of scripture above and in other places in the Bible. It’s a building material that’s worked into the structure of the union by the wife alone. If she disregards, ignores and refuses to obey that commandment, the strength, power and cohesion that it ought to bring into the building would be grossly missing and felt. It’s just like when a building ought to have fifty pillars, each standing at a different position in the building and the person solely responsible for supplying and erecting them refuses to do so and the building is completed without them. Firstly, the beauty of the huge structure would be diminished. Secondly and even more importantly, the building is in danger of collapsing after time because those 50 pillars were designed and assigned by the Architect to uphold the edifice. Their absence only spell doom for the structure.
Similarly, every divine command and instruction on Marriage is a vital building material that MUST be used in the construction of your marriage.
(2) HUSBAND’S SUPREME LOVE FOR WIFE
“25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:”(Ephesians 5: 25-29)
In the portion of scripture above, husbands are commanded to love their wives SUPREMELY. This is another building material for constructing a successful and durable marriage that will withstand the vicissitudes of life. It’s the husband alone that will provide this all important building material and put it the structure of the union; making it both strong and beautiful , just as the supreme love of Christ makes Christianity divinely strong and most beautiful.
Apart from the two building materials above that are to be supplied by the wife and the husband respectively, there are other materials that they bring together. We’re going to look at one of them before we draw the curtain.
(3) SEXUAL INTIMACY IN MARRIAGE
“2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.” (1 Corinthians 7:2-5)
In the portion of scripture above, an important building material is revealed and it is sexual intimacy in marriage. Many probably are wondering why we harp so much on sexual intimacy in marriage at Maximum Marriage Ministries. It’s because it’s one of the most basic building materials for constructing a long lasting marriage. It’s even more fundamental than the two building materials we first dwelt on. It’s a building material that’s brought to the construction work and built into it by both Spouses. The supply of this building material becomes necessary every time ONE OF THE SPOUSES feels the desire for Intimacy. Once this is so, the other Spouse should cooperate as soon as it’s possible and convenient.
There are scores of other building materials necessary for constructing your marriage and they’re all easily and readily available in God’s Word. Obedience to the commands and instructions on them constitutes the act of building your marriage. This means: when a wife faithfully practices submission to her husband, she’s not behaving as a servant to her husband as some rebellious wives conclude. She’s building her marriage for herself. Similarly, when a husband loves his wife extravagantly and supremely, he’s not a “woman wrapper” as some ignorant husbands may call him. He’s building his marriage and in the future his wisdom will justified as everyone will see himself and his wife still living together and looking fresh matrimonially when the marriages of those that were calling them names have long hit the rocks.
🔥🔥🔥 FAITH DECREE:
🔥 LET EVERY SPOUSE READING THIS DEVOTIONAL PIECE RECEIVE GRACE AND DIVINE UNDERSTANDING TO JOYFULLY PRACTICE THE TEACHINGS OF THIS DEVOTIONAL PIECE, IN JESUS’ PRECIOUS NAME!!!⚡
🍷🍗 TAKE-HOME POINT: OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD ON MARRIAGE IS AN ACT OF BUILDING YOUR MARRIAGE!
❤️💕 TODAY’S ONE FLESH ASSIGNMENT IN THE BEDROOM
From today’s teaching, what’s one of the most fundamental building materials for constructing a long lasting marriage? Tonight, lavishly USE IT to build, fortify and consolidate your marriage.
✍️✍️✍️We would love to read from you. Write us! Here’s our Email address: ahmananselm1992@gmail.com
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