A Marriage Plan that Works

1 Corinthians 7:1-5

“Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

I would bet the farm that most people who go by the name Christian have an opinion on the first five verses of chapter seven.  I would also bet the farm that a large number would not be in agreement with the Scriptures, and my reason for making that statement is the culture we live in.  In our culture, a woman has full say over her body, but is that contrary to Scripture?  Do you recall 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”  So how does one go about doing that, and have we been given a road map on glorifying God in our Marriage?

First, one must come to an agreement that our Creator is wiser than the wisest of humans, and that He loved us so much that He gave us a handbook on living life on planet earth, and it is all about relationships, with God and with others.  The culture is a product of the deceiver and his goal is consistency; “he came to kill, steal, and destroy.”  The problem is many are fooled by the deceiver’s plans, it always comes down to, “did God really say” and because many have little or no understanding of what God has said they receive what they want to hear.

This may come as a shock to many of you, but the U. S. Supreme Court does not have the authority to overrule God, not on killing babies in the womb or defining marriage.  It is written in Genesis 1:26-28 and 2:24; God has stated marriage is between a man and a woman, anything else is not marriage.

God’s plan is that the husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church, you husbands will find this in Ephesians 5:25-33.  You are not smarter, and for sure not as loving and tender as your wife, and you are not her boss, but you are her protector, friend, and should be the head of your family.  Wives are not required to love but to receive love; I did not say sex, but love is shown in many ways, sex being one that is very important.  But God is very clear, you are to respect your husband and often it is going to require you running to the Father to allow Him to do it all through you.  But if you will ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to follow the plan He has laid out in Ephesians 5:22-24, your marriage will take on new dimensions.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice