A minister once shared his family’s story in a conference. His children once saw two people fighting in public and ran home to report that they saw two demons fighting. They could not comprehend humans fighting because they had never seen their parents fight. To them, peace was normal. That home was a model marriage indeed.
Friend, your marriage is a message. God wants you to enjoy a model marriage and also be a model (1 Corinthians 16:19). He wants your marriage to be an example to your children and to the world. Marriage is not sustained by shouting and sermons but by living. How you live at home preaches louder than all your words combined (Exodus 15:2).
The true model for marriage is Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32). Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is His bride. The love, honour, and unity that flows between Christ and the Church is exactly what God desires between husband and wife. Any husband who wants a great marriage must first study Christ (John 15:12).
Women naturally respond to how they are loved (Ephesians 5:26). A biblical husband does not demand submission without first loving his wife as Christ loved the Church. God never demands without first supplying. Men, stop demanding what you are not supplying. We love God because He first loved us, not the other way round (1 John 4:19).
Love and submission sound simple, yet they are God’s greatest secret for a successful marriage (Ephesians 5:21-33). This is where most couples struggle. Many search for complex formulas, read many books, and attend conferences looking for deep secrets while ignoring the basics of love and submission (1 Peter 3:1-7).
What is your marriage modelling to your children and to the world (Psalm 128:1-6)? Can someone see salvation through your home? Will your children enter marriage already equipped for success because of what they saw? Like Abraham, can God point to your marriage to bless this generation and the next (Isaiah 51:1-2)?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria
