A guest speaker visited a church for ministration. He had been trusting God for who to marry. After he was done. His heart kept going back to the lady who served him water. He recalled the courtesy, honour, and humility with which she served. As he thought about it, he received the direction to marry her. Long story short, they are happily married today. This lady served her way into a successful marriage.
Friend, marriage, and service go hand in hand (Ephesians 5:25-27). Simply put, marriage is for service, and service positions people for a successful marriage. One of the greatest favours you can do to yourself as a single lady or guy is to serve. Waiting time must become service time, not loafing or complaints time (Romans 12:6-13). You may not realise it yet, but a lot of people are observing you.
Your potential spouse is considering either to marry you or not based on his or her perception of your service mindset (Genesis 24:63-65). You can increase your chance of getting rightly married by throwing yourself into service. Unfortunately, for some ladies, the longer they wait for the right spouse, the prouder they become (1 Peter 3:4).
Don’t let your age cage your life. Rather, let God free you to serve (Colossians 3:23-25). Stop looking down on people, claiming they are younger than you. Humble yourself, bend your back, and serve. If you don’t use your singlehood to develop a servant heart, there’s no guarantee you would make it in marriage (Ecclesiastes 9:10, 12:1). It was service that made Ruth meet her Boaz.
What if Ruth had stayed back at home (Ruth 2:2-5)? She would have missed her destiny of greatness. But she went into the fields. She bent her back to serve. What about Rebecca? The way she humbly and passionately helped to fetch water for Abraham’s servant was a confirmation to the heart of that servant (Genesis 24:15-21). Don’t make receiving difficult for your God-ordained spouse. Be found serving.
Marriage is for service. You serve your spouse and children (Psalms 128:1-4, Proverbs 31:10-29). A marriage in which only one of the parties gives him or herself to service without the other is a marriage that won’t work. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, being a virtuous woman is not just in beauty. It is in service and industry. Dear men, manliness is not about bossing your wife (1 Peter 3:7). It is about service.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria