Your Wedding Ceremony

Remember your wedding ceremony? The vows were like this: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together in the sight of God…”

Marriage is God’s idea. Remember His words?

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Genesis 2:18

Then you declared your intentions toward each other: “Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her…in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her so long as you both shall live…? I…take you…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part…”

That ceremony suggests that:

1. You are ready to start with each other as you are, not pending reform.
2. You will love and respect each other in spite of your shortcomings.
3. You will continue to work for the success of the marriage.
4. Disagreements are normal and expected, but you keep working toward a meeting of minds.
5. This is an exclusive relationship. “Forsaking all others,” the marriage comes first.

“‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’”

Matthew 19:6

6. You permanently commit yourselves to this marriage.

The Starting Point

Perhaps you have not yet made such vows–or if you have, you have not taken them seriously. Either way, if you expect to make your marriage better, such a commitment is needed as a starting point. These Bible verses are similar to your marriage vows:

Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:2-4

Here’s what these verses say:

1. You intend to come to a meeting of minds.

2. You consider your partner as important as yourself.

3. You intend to look out for your partner’s interests as well as your own.

Doesn’t that sound great? Such a foundation must exist to succeed. There is more:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

What do these verses say?

1. You intend to serve one another.

2. Both partners will comply with decisions made by the partnership (obedience). That is being subject to each other in the fear of Christ. That is cooperation.

3. You are quite capable of going it alone. You choose to submit to the partnership until death.

Are there any ways in which you need to renew your commitments today? Maybe you need to update your walk with God, your spouse, or friends. Whatever the relationship, serving one another is the key!