Speak 1

You could be wondering why I would post a blurry picture from my wedding day. You could also wonder after reading this why I would make my first “Speak” post on marriage when I’m only 2 months into it. Over the last two months something has become very clear through reading in Ephesians, reflecting on a sermon I heard by Russell Moore, and also reading through John Pipers book “Momentary Marriage”. It seems that this picture that of Christ and the church is supposed to be slightly more accurate than I had even thought. It is by grace that am even able to have a woman that would want to live with me (God has abundantly blessed me there). With that grace being known I am to love her “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish”. This is where it gets challenging. I’m supposed to love her as Christ loved the church... and Christ loved the church knowing that it was full of people who are prone to sin. He gave his life to cover those sins which separate us from God. I am to love my wife, forgive her, wash her with the word so that she will be without blemish knowing that she is sinful like me. I am not only to love her but on top of that she is supposed to submit to me as the head of the house like Christ is to the church. How simple is it to realize that I have to be right and walking in the light for her to have anything to submit to without the whole thing collapsing? Its all so very simple and I doubt that anyone who reads this will find new knowledge here. But the picture of Christ in marriage is much stronger than any other analogy that I have ever heard. Its almost like God made it to show a picture of something...
My question to you and to me is how blurry is the picture in your marriage? If your not married, how are you killing the foxes from the vineyard in preparation for marriage? I encourage you to have a blurry picture from your wedding as a reminder of what you don’t want things to look like. If not it might be just as good to think about it.
Paul ends Ephesians 5 with “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband”.
Good stuff, hope it helps as a simple reminder.