Love that sustains a godly family – Part 1

Christlike love is very important for our present life, destiny and ministry. To remain and appear godly in the sight of men and God, a family must exhibit Christlike love. Those who are preparing to get married must lay a good foundation for themselves because “marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled.” Matrimonial unfaithfulness — cruelty, violence, infidelity, deception, hatred, neglect and wickedness — is also damnable in all. People who live together as husband and wife, but are not faithful to each other, are not fulfilling the purpose of marriage. Ministers and workers in the vineyard of the Lord must examine their lives and families holistically in order to practise the honourable marriage that Christ presents.

The family is likened to a building. If the home would be a good building, it must have a concrete foundation. There are pertinent experiences in the Lord that we ought to have in order to have a solid foundation for our marriages and families. It is imperative that those who claim faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and are preparing for marriage must have the pertinent experience of personal salvation in Jesus Christ.

Individuals who are preparing for marriage and parents who would give out their children in marriage must understand the importance of personal salvation in order not to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers” in marriage. Church leaders must also prioritise personal salvation as a prerequisite, so, they do not lead the church to join people unequally in matrimony. Besides, intending couples and the married also require purifying sanctification with consecration.

We need sanctification to express selfless and sacrificial love, “as Jesus Christ also loved the church.” This experience produces the love that forgives and makes one think of the good of the other person. It makes us to always give the best of what we have to our spouses and also to do everything to make each other glorious. Besides, the purifying experience is necessary for our consecration to God, Christ and His work. This should necessarily be followed by Purposeful supplication with conviction.

We cannot choose a life partner by sight. The best and most intelligent of us will make a wrong choice because we do not know the future. Moreover, believers do not find “a wife” or husband by looking on the street or checking the Internet. To have God’s choice and obtain His “favour,” which would be helpful and profitable in life and eternity, we must pray with faith, trust God and have the conviction to know His will. This will involve proper separation from old sinful companions

Young people, widows and widowers who desire to get married, must marry according to the will of God and must not concentrate on association, link or connection with old companions, “and put the stumblingblock… before their face.” Such people must remove all idols from their heart as they pray to know who God wants them to get married to. Those who refuse to do this “shall bear the punishment of their iniquity.” They should also possess profitable skill and craftsmanship. Before contracting a marriage, it is important to ensure that the man has a job, profession, profitable skill or craft that would supply his needs and that of the family. The scripture condemns anyone who cannot provide for his household.

Equally essential before and after marriage is contracted, is the need for pivotal stability of Christlike charity. If you are thoughtlessly selfish or self-centredthat uncharitable disposition would destroy your marriage. But charity, which is above every other gift for the family, will help you keep the household stable and together. People who have the confidence and conviction to go into marriage must be “led by the Spirit of God,” the powerful spirit, our Comforter.

Less important is what the man or woman possesses, the job he or she has, the tribe he or she may come from and the encouragement of their parents or other brethren in the church. These are the people who will have confidence in their marriage after it is consummated.

• Further reading (King James Version): Ephesians 5:25-33; Hebrews 13:4; Luke 20:34-36; Matthew 24:36-39; Revelation 19:7-9; Ephesians 5:5-7; Revelation 21:8; 22:12-15. Psalm 11:3; 2 Timothy 2:19.2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Corinthians 7:39.Ephesians 5:25-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. Proverbs 18:22; 19:14; Jeremiah 29:11-13. Ezekiel 14:2-4,7-10; James 4:2-4. 2 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Timothy 5:8; Genesis 2:15-24. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7; Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 1:5,6. Romans 8:14; John 16:13; Ezekiel 15:13; Romans 8:26,27,34.