MARRIAGE MATTERS NEWSLETTER 013. Monday 1st June 2024.
Dear friends,
MARRIAGE IS A BIG DEAL.
After my talk at a program about two weeks ago, someone asked a question that since Jesus said there will be no marriage in heaven, why are we talking about preparing and handling our homes well? The funny part of it was that the person who asked the question was a pastor who is supposed to answer that question if asked. I decided to use the answer for this week’s newsletter so that those who have such question in their mind will be ministered to.
The answer I gave him was that, he should let his members know that though there is no marriage in heaven, once you marry here and you don’t handle it well, it can prevent you from making heaven. Scriptures like 1 Peter3:7 and Mal.2:13-15 makes it clear that not handling your home well may prevent your prayers from being heard. By extension, anything that can prevent your prayers from being answered may effectively prevent you from making heaven. In fact, several other scriptures make it clear that anything that separates you after you are married is not pleasing to God. Jesus said in Matthew 19:6;
‘So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
let not man separate.”
Let us briefly look at one major reason why you may run into problems with God when you don’t do it right at home. When you are in conflict with your spouse, there are several things that are likely to be happening; lack of forgiveness, retaliation, unrelenting anger, violence, verbal attacks, malice etc. All these are matters that the Bible present as sin. Even if you are not a Christian, you will discover that in your holy book, all of them are not acceptable.
Apart the connection between the way you handle your marriage and your eternity, the journey of marriage is the most important journey you are ever going to make. Marriage is optional of course, but once you choose to get married, you have to recognize the fact that your spouse more than anyone else will be the determinant of a lot of things in your life. The following are some of the reasons why your spouse will be the most important person in your life:
- Your fulfillment in old depends so much on whom you marry.
- Your ability to serve God depends on whom you marry.
- Your fulfillment in your God given assignment depends on whom you marry.
- The children you will have and how you raise them depends on whom you marry.
- The help you receive from others may depend on your spouse.
- Your career development depends on whom you marry.
- .Whether or not you are going to be lonely during old age depends on whom you marry.
If you are single, you must be careful in making a choice because of the importance of the position of your spouse in your life. For those of us that are married we need to pay particular attention to our home for the reasons stated above. If what you have in mind is that there will be no marriage in heaven, it may be better for you to start practicing no marriage from here. Once you are married and you don’t do it right, you may not even see heaven.
Yours in strengthening homes,
Dr. Mike Oluniyi.
