Marriage: The Altar and You

Genesis 2:24 (NET): That is why a man leaves his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

 

It was a little cloudy and a gentle breeze was blowing as the choir gave their number. Not long afterward, Vincent and Chidinma stood before the pastor reciting their vows, and in a few minutes the pastor said, “…I hereby proclaim you man and wife…You may now kiss the bride…”

You see, (almost) everybody loves a wedding ceremony. Some look at it with expectations and others with nostalgia mixed with a tincture of sadness, wondering where all the love bubbles went. Here is what you must know. Marriage requires maturity and this comes with character development. When an intending couple goes to the altar and the pastor makes the attendant declarations of joining, a miracle happens; two singles become a married couple. In the words of the scriptures, two flesh becomes one, and this is a great mystery (Ephesians 5:32). However, their character does not change with that declaration.

A believer seeking to enter into this great institution of marriage must be armed with this knowledge that wedding will not change your character, but the rather, marriage will amplify your flaws. A believer’s preparation for marriage must include spiritual growth and maturity. A good checklist will be the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and love as described in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. You won’t automatically get more patience because you got married to the love of your life, actually, you can beat the love of your life to the inch of her life given the right circumstances when patience and self-control is not developed in you.

Go into today noting that spiritual growth comes by the diligent application of yourself to God’s word. I ask, what are you doing with your singlehood? Are your preparations for marriage largely filled with rehashing sweet little words and choosing fancy restaurants? Are you paying attention to yourself? Take heed to yourself, and be deliberate about your spiritual growth.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me continually grow and be like Jesus in my heart. Amen.