Faith: Marriage takes three

My wife, Shirley, and I will be celebrating our anniversary Oct. 25 making it 47 wonderful years of marriage.

As we celebrate our anniversary, we thank God for being the center of our lives and our marriage. Many times for our anniversary we have traveled to other areas of the country to celebrate. Each time we would find time to worship at churches of like faith. These have been some of our most rewarding times, fellowship and getting to know other believers.

Maybe some of you just had a wedding anniversary or are going to be experiencing one soon. Cherish the time; it is a special day. So, let's talk about marriage.

First, God instituted marriage as noted in Genesis 2:18: “And the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him."

• Genesis 2:21-24: "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and close up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now the bone; of my bone, and the flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave onto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
• Genesis 1:27-28: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; Male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Multiply they did, for He is the giver of life and there is life in the blood.

• Genesis 4:1, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord." And she again bare his brother Abel.
• Genesis 4:25: “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son and called his name Seth. For God, said, she hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew."
• Genesis 5:3: "And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness; after his image; and called his name Seth; And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years; and he begat sons and daughters."

While some couples may have only one child, other couples may have several children, keeping in mind God is the family planner. We know at times a husband and wife for whatever reason are not able to have children, but they can still be blessed in their union of marriage and bless others through their example. We thank God for these couples who have been an encouragement to us as we raised our children.

The Bible has a lot to say about the union of a man and woman, and the blessing of child bearing. Here are a few of those verses.

• Psalms 127:3: "Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward."
• Psalm 127:4: “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth."
• Psalm 127:5a: "Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them."
• Psalm 128:3: "Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.”
• Psalm 128:4: "Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.”
• Luke 1:41: “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutations of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb."
• Luke 1:42: "And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and the blessed is the fruit of thy womb."

Marriage is sacred and children are a precious gift from God. Has this nation forgotten this and that there is a God?

The Bible says blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. We are living in perilous times, and we all need hope, and the only real true lasting hope is found in the Lord. To receive this hope you need to receive God's gift, which is His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was the blood sacrifice for our sins. Hebrews 9:22b: "and without the shedding of blood is no remission."

All you need to do is ask God to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart and life. You are then adopted into the family of God and have the blessed hope of eternal life.

• Romans 10:13 states, "Jesus answered and said unto him For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
• John 3:3: "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• Luke 1:46-47: “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior."

I invite you to put your trust in the Lord if you haven't already done so, as God alone if the one true way to lasting happiness and hope. And for added information on marriage and lasting happiness, read Ephesians 5:20-26 which is instructions for marriage, which is another whole subject.

Matthew 19:4-6: "And he answered and said unto them Have not ye read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but are one flesh, What therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder."

How long is marriage? 1 Corinthians 7:39: "The wife is bound by law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she; will only in the Lord.”

Marriage Takes Three

"It's not enough just two you see / to complete His plan there must be three. / As Husband and Wife you complete your love, / with sacred vows and the Lord above. / If together you'll both kneel and pray, / with sincere hearts as you end each day. / And in all you do, if you put Him first, / He'll meet your needs and quench your thirst. / It's not enough, just two you see... / to complete His plan, it takes all three." - Author unknown

Roger Braaten is interim pastor at Pine River Baptist Church.