GALATIANS 6:7,9, Celebrate your Marriage

Maybe sometimes we find it hard to celebrate our own spouse.

It is easier to give in to the frustrations and anger we feel at the moment than to pause and pray for ourselves and our spouses.

Of course, the devil loves to point out our spouse’s flaws because he is the accuser.

He comes to steal, kill, and destroy the happiness in our marriages.

They say that the natural inertia of a marriage is not to grow closer - life happens, children come, bills are unending, work is demanding, responsibilities are getting real, and so on; that's why we should always find ways to honor our marriages.

As they say "The grass is greener where you water it" so our marriages will be kept alive if we are investing in it.

As the Bible says in Galatians, whatever a man sows, he will also reap.

If we sow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our spouses - and if we do not give up doing these, then we will reap these things in due time.

Galatians 6:7,9

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

So how can we water our marriages?

1. WATER it with TIME

Spend time with your spouse.

Date them, Talk with them, Listen to them, Share stories, and Cultivate togetherness by finding and creating things you enjoy together.

As Audrey Hepburn says "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

Hold your spouse.

Don't make them feel neglected.

Prioritized them.

Surprise them.

Serve them.

Lost time is never found again.

We can only invest time.

We cannot make more of it nor save any of it.

If we don't use it, we will lose it forever.

2. WATER it with WORDS

Speak not just words but life-giving words to our spouses.

Encourage one another, Affirm one another.

The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue.

It's either our words will kill or bring life to those who hear them.

Words indeed pierce deeper than any swords.

Sometimes, it's better to be silent when we are angry since out of the overflow of our hearts, our mouths speak, and then when our hearts are hurt, we likewise speak hurts.

Proverbs 10:19

Too much talk leads to sin, but he who seals his lips is wise.

Let us be careful that with the same mouth, we don't speak both praises to God and curses to other people, especially to our spouses.

James 3:9-12

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh?

3. WATER it with PRAYERS

Pray for your spouse.

Pray that the Lord will be pleased and glorified in your marriage.

Fights and conflicts are inevitable.

There will always be misunderstandings and mistakes, disappointments and hurts and pain and shortcomings, and so on - there's no such thing as a "perfect marriage" that is why we need to cover our marriages in prayers.

Pray for protection, for peace, for strength, for continuous joy, and so on.

Involve God in your marriage.

Pray not just for one another but pray together.

As we end this,

Do you know why Falling in love is easy?

Because you don't do anything - you just FALL.

But Staying in Love is different.

Staying is a choice.

And whenever your love for one another prevails, Marriage has to be celebrated.

So today, I am celebrating my husband.

I am in awe of Him, for the Love we have prevails, and keeps prevailing against the test of time.

And we know that this Love we have is not from us.