MARRIAGE IS ALL ABOUT GOD, NOT ABOUT THE COUPLE!

In Genesis 1 vs 26  it says, "Then God said, “Let us make human beings* in our image, to be like ourselves.........."  And in vs 27 it says, "So God created human beings* in his own image.

In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." 

God created man and woman in His image and designed them to function in a certain way that will bring glory to His name. Anything less that way distorts His image, defeats His intention and limits our effectiveness as His servants.

Marriage is all about God, not about the couple! Marriage was not designed as a place where couples can try to get their needs met. It was designed by God to be used to accomplished a very important goal which is to help shape them into the image of His Son. It is all about meeting God's need first. Then as we strive in our pursuit to meet His need, He supplies us all we need to accomplish His purpose through us.

What is the need of God in marriage? His need is for us to demonstrate and reflect the image and the character of His Son in our marriages. Your marriage is not primarily about you, your spouse, your children or your family, is not primarily about your sexual fulfillment,  it is about God. Until we grasp this, we will never have a proper foundation for thinking godly about marriage.

What are the characteristics of God?  God's characteristics are love, patience, long-suffering, forgiveness, kindness, peace, joy and faithfulness. Since we are made in God’s image and share many of His characteristics, it provides a solid basis for our self worth.  Self worth is based on being made in God’s image and not based on possession, achievement, physical attractiveness or public acclaim.

To evaluate  your personal success in your marriage, you must not look to see if your needs are met, but how much you are becoming like Christ. The secret of a happy marriage is to serve God and each other. And the goal of marriage is unity and oneness, as well as self-development.

Understanding God's purpose for marriage is important before you enter into it, because to marry and miss it is to enter "into a life of frustration and disappointment- setting a stage for great marital unrest.