Marriage …
Marriage is Important
The Importance of Marriage – primarily from the perspective of Scripture.
God’s Creation
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27 NKJV)
Right from the start God made men and women equal, in “the image of God” but with complementary differences as men and women.
On the creation of man God placed him in the garden and gave him His vision for life in the world that He, God had created. God then saw that something was incomplete and said “Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” (Genesis 2:18 NLT). God had seen that it was not good for the first man, and for most of us, to be left by himself.
God then created/crafted woman out of the rib of that first man ( Genesis 2:21-22). Then, God presented and entrusted this remarkable gift to the man.
What we know as marriage had been instituted by God. A man and a woman becoming one new entity and, as we are told later being “one flesh”. That entity of one man and one woman being the fundamental human relationship in God’s created world. This human relationship being the basis for family — a relationship that is there ahead of the parent-child relationship.
Genesis 2:24 tells us
Prayer points for January
Prayer for Families
There is always a need for prayer for families and to give thanks to God for families. They are the bedrock of both society and of the church.
Matrimony and family are God’s design, and as divine institutions there are no substitutes. Fundamentally, our global cultures and societies need a moral counter-revolution. Families have never been as fragmented as they are today, and our modern culture continues to wear away at the core unit of society. People are treated as commodities through media, e.g., parents are encouraged to show their love for their children by buying gifts for them; the image of ‘father’ has been denigrated, and their role reduced to financial provider; the role of ‘mothers’ has been demeaned. Satan knows that if he can destroy marriages, and thus the family, he can destroy the very fabric of any society.
- DECREE
On Earth Peace and Goodwill Toward Men
With Christmas approaching, it brings a mix of joy, anxiety, fear, stress and, to some, depression. Shops are filling with Christmas items—food, gifts, decorations, etc and the occasional shop, though getting rarer these days, playing Christmas carols.
As we get closer to the 25th, the hearts of some become increasingly heavy. This may be because of the thoughts of the preparation, the possible ramifications of a great family meeting/lunch/BBQ and its complications or spending a Christmas alone having lost a loved one.
How can we help others and maybe ourselves have joy throughout the season? We need to move the focal point from the “world” to what the season is about — the birth of Christ, with the sufficiency of scripture being our guide.
I. The Birth of Christ—the Reason
Some forces appear to be trying
