Strong Marriage

Strong husband + Strong wife = Strong marriage.

Where does this strength come from?
God's Word.

The strength of your marriage is God's Word in the heart of the husband and wife as they believe and live together. 

Keeping God first in your own life keeps you strong in God's Word so that you can be a virtuous woman.

As a virtuous woman, you are your best for yourself, your husband, and your family.

Genesis 2:18
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Genesis clearly states that marriage was God's idea.  God states that he will make a help meet for man.  

A help meet is a wife who works alongside her husband to bring out the best in him.  It is our wonderful mission and purpose as a wife to bring out the best in our husband.

We are always there with the Word to share with our husbands and we offer him thoughtful solid solutions to life's situations.

Proverbs 12:4a  
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband...

Virtuous means moral excellence and righteousness, goodness.

We are morally excellent when we keep God and His Word first in our lives and share it with our husbands.  We are righteous and good when we help our husband and bring out the best in him by assistance.

When we do this we are a crown, a glory to our husband.  We see our husband as a man of potential and achievement and we give him something to live up to.   Give your husband God's Word to live up to as you speak the truth in love to him bringing out the best in your man.

Your husband is a wonderful companion, someone to talk to who understands you. 

Communicate to build companionship and make time to converse and spend time together.

Companionship is the primary reason for marriage.  A great key to make a marriage sweet is communication

t + L = c

talking + Listening = conversation

talk, Listen and have conversation with your husband.  Listen to him and learn what's on his heart.  

A strong companionship overcomes challenges and you will have victory together in life.

Ecclesiastes 4:12
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

A three-fold cord is not easily broken.  Who is the 3rd cord?  God.  As you and your husband grow closer to God, you grow closer to each other. 

You will have strength, joy, and victory in your marriage, family and life as you and your husband keep God first.

Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Be kind to your husband with words and actions.  God forgives and forgets and so do we.

Strong husband + strong wife = strong marriage.

When a husband is strong in the Lord and wives are strong on the Word our marriage will be strong.

Ephesians 5:21
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.  

"fear of God" means love of Christ.

We submit ourselves to each other in the love of Christ.  We love, give and serve one another out of our love for God.  Love energizes believing and believing overcomes the world.

verse 22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

"Submit" means loving obedience by proper arrangement and deliberate decision.  We make a deliberate decision to lovingly obey our husbands according to the proper arrangement that we've agreed on in our marriage.

Each married couple has their own proper arrangement.  There are as many proper arrangements as there are couples.

For example, my husband loves planning and organizing trips.  He spend time diligently searching, reading and learning about each new destination.  Then he plans every detail of our trip.  I enjoy cooking.  I read cookbooks for fun and make up new recipes constantly.  

Travel and cooking is just one of many, many examples of our proper arrangement.   And over time and seasons of life change may be required in your proper arrangement.  The key is communication. 

The key is t + L + c.  talk + Listen + communication.

It takes time, communication and love to figure out what works.  Investing in your marriage and deciding on your proper arrangement will strengthen your marriage.

Verse 23
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

The husband leads the marriage with love, tenderness, and kindness. He provides a strong example of putting God first for his family to follow.  

Both responsibilities are important but not equal.

Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Husbands give because they love.

Ephesians 5:28
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Our husbands give us loving words and careful protection.  The husband loves his wife as his own body.

Ephesians 5:32-33
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

The strength in our marriage is the Word of God living in our hearts.  Husbands are to love their wives and the wife is to respect her husband.  Keep it fun, keep it simple and live God's Word together.

When a  godly husband loves his wife in this way described in Ephesians 5, the wife wants only to help him and bring out the best in him.  It is so beautiful that you must see it and live it yourself.

Companionships is the primary purpose of marriage.  Spend time together getting to know one another.  Spoil each other outrageously every day.  Speak The Word to each other always with kindness, love, and tenderness.  Enjoy each other and make time for each other.  Make your relationship a priority and you will have a strong marriage full of power, joy, and victory.