MARRIAGE IS HONOURABLE
By Bishop Mike Okonkwo
Saturday 18th February 2023
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: ….” Hebrews 13:4 (KJV)
Marriage as ordained by God is a man and a woman coming together by choice. Genesis 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” I know that the marriage institution has been abused today, but marriage is still honourable. God is the author of marriage, and He still intends that a man and a woman should come together in holy matrimony.
Marriage is not just for procreation. If you do not understand the purpose of a thing, you will abuse it. Many have assumed that marriage is just for procreation, so when there is a delay in childbearing, agitations come, and sometimes couples consider separation. Do you know that childbearing is not the main reason for marriage? Let us go back to Genesis 2. What was going on before verse 24? Verse 20 has the answer “And Adam gave names to all cattle, and the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam, there was not found a help meet for him” (emphasis mine). God brought all the animals to Adam, and he named them all, but there was none he could relate with as a mate. So, it was a lonely road and then God said “it is not good for man to be alone…” that is the reason. God wants you to have company – have a friend, have a companion, have a completer – that is the sole purpose of marriage.
If you are married today, your best friend and confidant should be your spouse. Yes, you can have advisers, mentors, friends, and colleagues outside, but your spouse should be your first “go-to” person. As a spouse, you cannot afford not to be trusted. Your spouse should be able to trust you to keep his or her secret, to pray along when the storm is raging, and to encourage you. Don’t be too busy to have time for your family. Thank God for the job, but your first call is to your family. Order your priorities right. God comes first, then your family before any other thing. I encourage you today to give your family the pride of place in your life.
Further Reading: Genesis 2:18-25
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Leviticus 23-24; Evening- Mark 1:1-22