Marriage is a spectacular thing! Having just marked my 25th Wedding Anniversary only reinforces this! And it spectacular far beyond my abilities to describe in writing (especially in a short blog post! But I do have a couple simple thoughts, that might encourage or edify others…
GOSPEL MYSTERY. When our Pastor, Dr Dick Sisson preached from Ephesians 5 at our wedding, he began by stating his wonder: how can a boy from Wisconsin win the heart of a girl from Boston? How do those “so different”(!) come together to enjoy the covenant relationship of marriage?? This mystery is a picture for us of the gospel itself — a picture of how men come to be in a relationship with God through Christ Jesus! In Ephesians 5 we read this (emphasis added)…
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Profound indeed! But by the common grace of God men and women do get married — and, by saving grace, men and women can be redeemed by Christ and enter into a covenant relationship with God! I am so thankful for BOTH graces at work in me and in my marriage.
pdb at Castle Hill Lighthouse, Newport, RI
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
My strength to be a husband comes from God. He is faithful to those who call upon Him, trust Him and serve Him.
I thank God for all that I have learned while being married to Laurel — about the joys of marriage, the real nature of love, and, the significance of grace. God is very good.
yours (and Laurel’s) by divine mercy,
pdb
After he gets underway (some joking around) this is perhaps one of the best sessions to watch or hear (see below). He is full of numbered observations and pointed applications. [I will share most of this on Sunday night at CPCC.]
The Breadline 