Marriage
Commit to God and to Your Spouse
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:15-21
Key Verse: Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
The definition of the word Commit -1.To be responsible for. 2. To entrust: consign. 3. To pledge or obligate (oneself). 4. To be morally bound to do. The question is: How strong is your commitment to God and to your spouse?
You’ve never heard of Nicolai Pestretsov, but now after this lesson you may never forget him. He was just 36 years old, a sergeant major in the Russian army, stationed in Angola. His wife had traveled the log distance from home to visit him when, on a beautiful August day, South African military units entered the country in quest of black nationalist guerrillas taking sanctuary there. When the South Africans encountered the Russian soldiers, four people were killed and the rest of the Russians fled—except for Sergeant Major Pestretsov.
The South African troops captured Pestretsov, and a military communiqué explained the situation” “Sergeant Major Nicolai Pestretsov refused to leave the body of his slain wife, who was killed in the assault on the village. He went to the body of his wife and would not leave it, although she was dead."
Taken from a story told by author Robert Fulghum
Wow, what a picture of commitment—and what a series of questions it raises!
•Why didn’t he run and save his own hide?
•What made him go back?
•Is it possible that he loved her that much?
•Is it possible that he wanted to hold her in his arms one last time?
•Is it possible that he didn’t care what became of him now?
We don’t know. Or at least we don’t know certain. We can only guess the answers for his actions.
What do your actions say about your commitment to your spouse? What do your attitudes and your words reveal? Standing by the commitment you made to your spouse—the commitment you made before God and many witnesses—is key to standing by your spouse.
Picture again Sergeant Major Pestretsov kneeling by the side of his wife’s lifeless body, not wanting to leave the woman to whom he’d pledged his life even when his very life was at stake. That is a high level of commitment. We are to be as committed. We who are married are to be as committed to our spouse as Christ is to the church He died for. In fact, as Christians, our marriages are to be a witness to the world of Christ’s love and grace. Clearly, marriage is not to be entered into casually.
In light of the importance God places on marriage, premarital counseling from your Pastor is very seriously recommended for couples wanting to be married. And never for instance, encourage two people to get married if one is a Christian and the other is not (2 Corinthians 6:14) A marriage needs to be rooted in each partner’s commitment to love and serve the Lord, or else the union will be divided from the start. In addition, only a Christian marriage will result in a Christian home, a home which glorifies God and acts as His witness to the world.
Being obedient to God means being blessed by a rich and wonderful marriage that is rooted in His love and dedicated to Him. Furthermore, vowing before God to love your spouse through the good times and the bad will reinforce your commitment to your spouse when the times are indeed bad. When your vows are to man alone, they will be easier to walk away from. But God’s witness of your wedding vows and the foundation He gives to Christian couples enables couples to stand together whatever comes their way.
Let Us Pray
Father God, it’s sometimes difficult to stand by the commitment I’ve made to my spouse. We all want to do our own thing our own way. Help me to stay true to the vow I made before You and other witnesses. I truly want to commit to You and to my spouse, and to receive the blessings that you promise in Scripture when we do just that. Amen.
Lesson Exercise
1. Think of your commitment to your spouse; write down a fresh, new commitment to your God and to your spouse.
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2. Action Thinking
Make a commitment to be willing to “submit to one another” in all things (Ephesians 5:21).
Touch your marriage ring (if you wear one). Think back to your wedding day and review your wedding vows. Touch your ring regularly and each time think about those vows.
Additional Scripture Reading
Ephesians 5:22-23 Ephesians 6:10-18
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