LOVE AND THE MAXIMISED MARRIAGE

“And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” – Genesis 2:18

The MAXIMISED MARRIAGE is GOD’S DESIGN:  ““And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Gen.2:18). It demanded leaving, cleaving and being naked (vv.24-25)! Only God is sufficiently wise and holy to have authored and designed a relationship of NAKED LOVE – “And they were both NAKED, the MAN and HIS WIFE, and were not ashamed” – one in which husband and wife were naked – transparent, open, and trusting – and not ashamed! This is the MAXIMISED MARRIAGE! I thank the Lord for having been given the privilege to enjoy a maximised marriage with my beloved Partner-for-Life – Oluwatoyin Olatundun – for thirty-two years, and counting!

Marriage is a universal phenomenon, and the basis of every society is the family, which should ideally be the product of marriage. Marriage is first and fundamental in God’s agenda. Christ’s first miracle, the first taste and demonstration of His power to restore and renew, was at a marriage occasion (Jh.2:1-2, 11). This reveals God’s priority to visit our marriages and bring restoration. The decay in society is first and foremost an attack on the marriage institution. In our days, the family unit is fast disintegrating. Satan’s first attack on humankind was on the home. The fall of man was the fall of home. And most troubles on earth today are linked with the home – broken homes, absent father, and missing mothers, and abandoned children. Today, some people view marriage as: a necessary evil or yoke to bear; an unavoidable entanglement; the spiritual fire extinguisher; a children-bearing centre; a mere pleasure inn; a polygamous battleground; or a lifetime prison. In the beginning it was not so!

God is the Manufacturer of Man and Marriage. Marriage and family were God’s creation, not Man’s suggestion. In the Beginning, the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him… Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of man, and brought her to the man. That is why a man leaves his father and mother is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Gen. 2: 18, 22, 24 NIV). The Genesis-two model of marriage was God’s original concept and pattern, in which Eve was “a help meet” for Adam. Unfortunately, many marriages on earth today are the Genesis-three type, in which Adam saw Eve as a “trouble in his flesh” – chaotic, unsettled, and filled with an air of fear and shame. Gradually, the world’s warped views of marriage began to manifest.

God has a Manual – His Word – to help us maximise His products. We need to turn to His Manual for understanding, instructions and direction. The Lord Jesus Christ said: “Have you not READ that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ (Matt.19:4). We would be wise to read of that which He made at the beginning, rather than lean on our limited carnal understanding or the world’s failing philosophies. Starting from anywhere but the beginning will mean standing without an ‘under’ to our ‘standing’! The Genesis of marriage, if carefully studied and understood, will solve, resolve and dissolve every problem in any marriage. God’s Word is the very genesis of all that we are and can ever be: “And GOD SAID, let us make man…”  (Gen.1:26). Again, it took God to speak to initiate marriage: And the Lord GOD SAID…”  (Gen.2:18).

God initiated Marriage, just as He initiated Man. Marriage is as weighty in intents and purposes as the creation of man himself. God places such a high premium on marital relationships that He gave meticulous instructions about it in His Word. There are MISERABLE, MEDIOCRE, and MAXIMISED MARRIAGES. Beloved, a good marriage is “your best reward down here” (Eccl.9:9 LB). Our marriages can be marvellous and maximised. Let’s practise Naked Love – transparent, trusting, and open.  Let’s set aside time in our hearts and lives to learn God’s principles for marriage and the home NOW, so we would have no cause to set aside our homes in the days of adversity! Shalom!