Bloodline of a successful marriage

Bloodline of a successful marriage

By James Linders

Marriage in ANY culture has ONE cardinal aspect in common: a life-long commitment between two partners. Nevertheless, the success or failure of the marriage is heavily influenced by culture and tradition.

This article explicitly addresses the Christian marriage. However, Facebook friends that are NOT Christian couples are free to read this article and follow the advice it offers should they so wish.

The Christian marriage is a life-long commitment and intimate bond between ONE man and ONE woman (Genesis 2:24), and is influenced and governed by Biblical principles. The success or failure of the marriage depends on how well we adapt to the following principles as suggested by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7: "... since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital (nuptial) duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other (of sex) except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you (referring to the unfaithfulness of the married couples and adulterous relationships) because of your lack of self-control...A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest, I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"

In addition, Paul makes the following statement in Ephesians 5:23-32: “For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. As the church submits to Christ, so your wives must submit to your husbands in EVERYTHING. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their OWN bodies. A man actually loves himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it.”

Marriage is a sacred bond instituted by God as recorded in Genesis 2:21-23: " So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man Then the man said, “This, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." 

BOTH of you must be VERY sure that you are ready and prepared to share each other's living space, because if you and your partner are NOT prepared or mature enough to adapt to each other's differences and needs...a give and take relationship, you'll have a lot of fights, insults, and disappointments on your hands. marriage and stipulate your expectations from each other. If these expectations can not be met by either or BOTH of you, then I SERIOUSLY suggest that you part ways, because SUCH a marriage is doomed to failure BEFORE it even begins.

The MOST successful marriage is a two-way marriage where both the husband and wife are prepared to swallow their pride sometimes, sacrifice their right to each other, place their marriage at the TOP of their priority list WITHOUT compromising this rule and NOT see the roles of each other as a win-lose relationship but as a win-win relationship. After all, we became ONE when we commit to marriage to each other. The failure of one is a failure to the other as well. When one partner is suffering, the other one would be suffering as well.

The MOST successful marriage is a two-way marriage where both the husband and wife are prepared to swallow their pride sometimes, sacrifice their right to each other, place their marriage at the TOP of their priority list WITHOUT compromising this rule and NOT see the roles of each other as a win-lose relationship but as a win-win relationship. After all, we became ONE when we commit to marriage to each other. The failure of one is a failure to the other as well. When one partner is suffering, the other one would be suffering as well.

The husband and wife should make it a point to PRAY together, because a family the prays together, stays together.

It is expected of a husband in a Christian marriage to LOVE his wife as he loves himself. He WON’T do ANYTHING that might make her feel worthless, unwanted, OR excluded from his life. The SAME applies to the wife. There ARE cases where dominant and independent individuals have succeeded in building a successful marriage. In SUCH instances the two partners ALLOWED their love and respect for each other, to over-shadow their dominant and independent nature. They were PREPARED to sacrifice their dominant and independent nature, habits, attitudes, and traditions for the GREATER good of their marriage.

Finally, NEVER belittle each other in the presence of your children because it creates confusion and unhappiness in the child's mind and often serve as a roll model for YOUR children in their OWN marriages when THEY become adults.