1. What is the source of our love?
Marriage must be fueled by a passion for God, more than just a physical attraction for one another. Our physical needs for acceptance, identity, protection and purpose cannot come from our spouse. When our spouse becomes the source of our love instead of God, we set them up for failure every day.
2. How are we serving each other?
Abraham’s description of Sarah being ‘in the tent’ was one that resembled the condition of a slave, not as an equal partner. Our marriages can never be about dominating our spouses, but rather serving them. We cannot afford to ‘bless’ strangers but continue to ‘bark’ at our spouses.
3. Who are the friends to our marriage?
Bad marriages, as well as great marriages, always run in groups. Our marriages have to be circled around by great friends who will keep us accountable with how we treat our spouses. The bruises of our friends will provide more wisdom for us to lean on than the kisses of any enemy.
4. How do we handle difficult situations?
Our marriages will never be fully resistant to challenges. Even the best-kept gardens are prone to having weeds from time to time. But when those negative circumstances come in our marriages, God must be who we turn to first. He is well able to restore anything that we believe is broken in our marriages, so long as we take it to Him together.
Just as Proverbs 27:23 tells us to always ‘be diligent to know the state of your flocks,’ you and I must be all the more determined to know the conditions of our marriages.
Nothing is more important.
