What should be the husband and wife's righteous agreement on earth?
Almost all married couples make agreements of all sorts.Most of us make agreements not to be unfaithful to each other throughout that marriage.But, it just relates to the physical and emotional commitment from both. We do this out of fear, just if, he or she will leave us for another person.
Is marriage all for 'physical' reasons only? I mean, do we make agreements for physical matters only and not for righteousness together? It shows where our hearts are,doesn't it? What are the righteous agreements we should have?
Think it through carefully. Marriages break apart because there aren't any righteous agreements between them.Whose fault is it when marriages fall apart? The Pastor? The In-laws? Your relatives? Exactly, who? Let's look into what God says about this....
Ephesians 5:22-33 (New International Version)
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband
If you were to think it thoroughly, there is a righteous agreement between a husband and his wife as according to this passage. The 'flesh' matter has already been solved by the "two shall become one flesh" commandment, if obeyed by both, husband and wife.
The 'love and respect' matter translates itself into a righteous agreement.Marriages that does not have this righteous agreement will eventually fail in one way or another In which way, you may ask? That 'Love' above represents Christ and 'respect' or submission to that holy love represents the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Have you ever made a righteous agreement with your wife or husband to lead a life that pleases the Lord together? Have you ever made an agreement to serve the Lord with a life of prayer and intercession together? Have you ever made an agreement to search God's word together?
If only Adam and Eve had made that righteous agreement amomg themselves, there would be no sinful nature (fruit) of the Devil in man. If only Lot and his wife had made that righteous agreement about not turning back to the world and it's pleasures, she would't have turned into a pillar of salt and he would not have slept with his daughters after he had been intoxicated with alcohol. All these heart-aches would not have come.
Matthew 18:19 (New International Version)
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
This verse is most suitable for any righteous agreement that a husband and wife in Christ make.This promise is true when it comes to a husband and wife in Christ praying and agreeing together. It will be done if you fervently and unceasingly agree on a righteous agreement that will please the Lord with your request.
Consider Job and his wife, a good example of a righteous agreement made between them at the lowest point of their lives together ever.Job corrected his wife who was with the wrong perception of God and His eternal ways.
Job 2:9-10 (New International Version)
His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
To be continued ......
