God’s desire for marriage is far greater than we could ever imagine

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Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” --Genesis 2:18 I firmly believe that the Bible is absolutely the best source for a happy marriage. Married couples can learn so much from the strength and the wisdom of the Word. It’s really our only hope to keep marriage as a vital and strong institution. We need God’s perspective because marriage today seems to be more troubled than triumphant in most cases. First, it seems many people bring unresolved baggage from a previous marriage or relationship into the new one, creating a difficult atmosphere. Other marriages fail simply because one or both spouses don’t know the difference between love and infatuation, or lust. In other cases, marriage partners lack common relational and social skills, which dooms good communication. Financial burdens can also weigh down an otherwise healthy marriage very quickly with devastating results. But above all of these problems, I see the greatest reason for marriage failure in our culture to be the lack of good and accurate models. Very few marriages are good examples of what God intended when He created marriage in the book of Genesis. God’s desire for marriage is far greater than we could ever imagine. So if you are married, take time today to talk and pray with your spouse. And spend time in His Word so you can build your marriage on His principles for a strong and vibrant marriage. After all, it’s His creation! God’s desire for marriage is far greater than we could ever imagine—so let’s follow his example.

The Timing of Temptation

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
Matthew 3:16–4:1

Though Jesus was fully and completely God, He was also fully human. After the long walk from the northern part of Israel to where John the Baptist was preaching in the south, Jesus entered the Jordan River to be baptized. I’m sure it must have been enormously encouraging to Him to hear an expression of approval from His Heavenly Father. Jesus was baptized as an example, not because He needed to repent and show a visible outward expression of His repentance. He was completely holy and perfect.
Yet it was immediately after that moment of Divine approval, that Jesus faced a time of great testing. There are few times in our Christian life when we are more vulnerable to temptation than after a great victory. When we have seen God work in a powerful way, when great things have been accomplished, the natural tendency is for us to let down our guard. Satan knows this, and it is then that he often does his most effective work.
We see this vividly illustrated in the life of Elijah. Immediately following the great display of God’s power on Mt. Carmel with fire falling from Heaven, the false prophets being destroyed, and the prayers for rain answered, Elijah fled for his life because of a threat from Jezebel. He even asked God to kill him, thinking that his ministry had come to an end. The victory can be lost if we are not careful.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Do not let your guard down following a victory—the devil will try to use even that against you.