READING: Mark 10-11
I’ve said the words dozens of times at the end of a wedding: “What therefore God has joined together let not man separate” (Mark 10:9). Preceding those words in Mark’s Gospel, though, are other words that speak so clearly to our culture today:
- “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female."
- “A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife.”
- “The two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh.” (Mark 10:6-8)
God uniquely takes two people from different families, grants them a love for and commitment to each other, brings them together in covenant, and knits their souls as one. He becomes the glue that cements them together, and the godly home then becomes the place to raise the next generation of Christ followers and gospel witnesses. When we follow God’s plan, it’s all quite a picture of the gospel. God is central, and the bond among husband, wife, and their Creator is deep.
And yet, the enemy’s hand remains evident in marriage today. Gender issues and possibilities now make it difficult to know who is male and female. Culture has now so distorted marriage that it’s no longer just male and female who marry one another. “Holding fast” to one another is somewhat foreign to a culture where many enter marriage while banking on the possibility of divorce if it doesn’t work out. Others experience serial marriages, not unlike the woman at the well in John 4. The couple goes through a marriage ceremony, but the two never become one.
In the middle of all this confusion is the serpent of Genesis 3 who lured the first couple into sin and then enticed the husband to blame his wife for the problem. That same enemy remains on the prowl today. He still seeks to devour homes.
Make sure you and your prayer partners are praying for the strength of your marriage. Your spouse and children are in the line of demonic fire.
ACTION STEPS:
- Make certain your family knows how much they mean to you today.
- Take time to cover them in prayer, and seek other prayer partners to join you in the task.
PRAYER: “God, I thank You for my family. Help me to be the most godly spouse and parent I can be. Guard us from the enemy’s attacks.”
TOMORROW'S READING: Mark 12-13