Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Marriage: Sacred and Holy Worship

Last night I got to enjoy the awesomeness of worshiping our God in the company of thousands. My husband, Jeff, had gotten me tickets to a Chris Tomlin concert. His worship music is amazingly heart felt and moves me into the presence of God every time I listen to it; Last night did not disappoint!

As I stood next to my husband praising God with hands raised, eyes closed and a love coming straight from the heart of God into my very soul- I had to think about the love God has given between a husband and a wife. Scripture says this about marriage:

There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. 1 Corinthians 6:16-20

As I received the love of God, freely and so undeservedly, I wanted to share it. I wanted to pour out the depth of love that my God lavishes on me to an overflowing, abundant degree. I felt my hubby's body sway in time to the music along with mine. And for a brief moment my heart broke for the way our world has distorted the beauty of marriage. The world has taken the beautiful oneness of marriage and turned it into a self-pleasuring act void of God. It has minimized the role of God in a marriage and replaced it with a misconception that marriage is about getting something for ourselves. Rather it is a giving of ourselves in a holy submission to our God. Marriage is about making us holy, not making us happy! Yes, happiness comes, but not by what we are getting, rather by giving of ourselves. The world has made marital love about sexual acts and sensual pleasure. But God's design of marriage is beauty, heart felt intimacy, and a depth of love that is shared with no other human on this earth. It is sacred and holy ground. The love that is made between a husband and a wife is worship! It's about thanking God for the other person and honoring His name in the tenderness we express to one another. Marital love flourishes when Jesus is honored first! Our bodies become an instrument of His love expressed through us and into the heart of our spouse. God's design is perfect, holy, and absolutely pure! If we want to love our spouse well, we must dwell continually in the presence of our Lord!

Lord,
Teach us to love our spouses like you love us. Help us first to understand the depth of love you have for us. Open our hearts to receive your love so that we can in turn make that love blossom with our spouse. Lord, as Christians let our marital love so shine that the world takes notice. Help us to expel the lies of the enemy and revive marriages throughout the world in your holy name!
Amen

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