Biblical Marriage - Serving God, Serving Each Other

Biblical Marriage - Serving God, Serving Each Other
by Rick Warren


... Let love make you serve one another. Galatians 5:13 (TEV)

Any successful marriage is built upon the biblical truth that God designed each of us with five purposes in mind: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.
You and your spouse were both shaped for serving God. The Bible says, "God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God has made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing" (Ephesians 2:10, NCV).

God shapes us for service through a variety of methods, including the challenges you face in your marriage. We learn to be effective in ministry as we learn to serve our spouses, and learn, with our spouses, godly, faithful responses to life's problems and God's blessings.

Who could better help somebody recover from the pain of an addiction, a business failure, or a prodigal child than a couple who has been through these things and emerged with godly insights?

Could it be that the part of your marriage you regret or resent the most -- that which you've wanted to hide or forget -- is the very thing God wants to use as your ministry to help and encourage others sharing the same struggle? God doesn't just use our strengths; he uses our weaknesses, and even our failures!

"As for you, my friends, you were called to be free ... let love make you serve one another." (Galatians 5:13, TEV)