Marriage …
Marriage is Important
We look at the Importance of Marriage primarily from the perspective of Scripture.
God’s Creation
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27 NKJV)
Right from the start God made men and women equal, in “the image of God” but with complimentary differences as men and women.
On the creation of man God placed him in the garden and gave him His vision for life in the world that He, God had created. God then saw that something was incomplete and said “Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” (Genesis 2:18 NLT). God had seen that it was not good for the first man, and for most of us, to be left by himself.
God then created/crafted woman out of the rib of that first man ( Genesis 2:21-22). Then, God presented and entrusted this remarkable gift to the man.
What we know as marriage had been instituted by God. A man and a woman becoming one new entity and, as we are told later being “one flesh”. That entity of one man and one woman being the fundamental human relationship in God’s created world. This human relationship being the basis for family — a relationship that is there ahead of the parent-child relationship.
Genesis 2:24 tells
Prayer for marriages ~ July
The Sphere of Arts has the potential to touch lives in a powerful way and can be, and often is, used to communicate the gospel message. Drama, dance, story, jewellery, pottery, embroidery, music and visual image can be expressions both of the reality of our brokenness, and of the hope that is centred in the gospel that all things will be made new. In the world of mission, the arts are often an untapped resource. It is an important means for believers to engage with society, whether through the performing arts, visual arts or other creative arts.
- Thank God for the many singers and musicians who have used their God given gifts to encourage people and for those who have made their music resources freely available. Pray that all in this sphere would humbly model purity and chastity and not yield to any temptations that may come their way, using their
The Importance of Reclaiming Marriage
“Marriage is not a human invention; it is a divine revelation. Its design never was our own made-up arrangement of infinite malleability. It was given to us, at the beginning of all things, as a brightly shining fixity of eternal significance. We might not always live up to its true grandeur. None of us does so perfectly. But we have no right to redefine it, and we have every reason to revere it.”
“I yearn for a recovery of joyful confidence in marriage as God originally gave it to us. This requires a humble, thoughtful return to biblical teachings. We will never see human sexuality restored without a rediscovery of Scripture as the consensus of our culture.” [Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel]
The church, for centuries, has proclaimed the words in Mark 10:6-8 at weddings, for they speak of the gift of marriage, recognized by many of the
