"God has joined those two people together. So no person should separate them." -- Mark 10:9

KEY THOUGHT:

          God has the power to make two people one. Marriage is not about a wedding, but about a man and a woman entering into a covenant relationship with God. God is the greater party in the covenant. The man and the woman give their highest allegiance and commitment to God when they marry. There will be times when their spouse will unfortunately disappoint them or let them down. But, God wants them to remember that their highest priority is not treating their spouse as he or she deserves, but as God would have them be treated. Honoring God in the way they treat each other is the key to marriage as God sees it. God wants husbands and wives to understand that breaking a marriage apart is an offense against God -- he is the one who makes couples one and the one with whom they enter into covenant relationship. God hates covenants made with him to be broken.

TODAY'S PRAYER:

           O God, please give your people a deeper appreciation of what it means to enter into covenant with you when they marry. I worry about all the money we spend on wedding ceremonies when there is so little appreciation for the covenant relationship that begins when a couple is married. Help me, O God, to be a covenant-keeper and a person who encourages others to be loyal to you and the covenants they make with you. In Jesus' name. Amen..