"The Blessing of Marriage"

"Another thing you do: You flood the Lord's altar with tears. You weep and wail because He no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, 'Why?' It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant" ~ Malachi 2:13-14

We men have been making this mistake for thousands of years now, thinking that God accepts our worship or blesses our efforts even when we are harsh or unfaithful to our wives. Of course, unfaithfulness can involve sexual immorality, but even if you have avoided that sin, the idea here includes much more than that. The original Hebrew means "to act or deal treacherously". Are you expecting God to bless your home, ministry, or work while you are mistreating your wife? Are you justifying it because of her sins and issues? Wives, are you doing your best to fulfill God's purpose for you in marriage? You are not responsible for your husband's choice to deal treacherously with you, but you are responsible for your actions and words, and you have much power in building him up or tearing him down. We all need to be reminded of God's intention for the marital relationship, and get back to obeying His will. This week at Friendship, we will talk about "The Blessing of Marriage". Maybe that's where it needs to start. Do you even still view marriage as the blessing God intended in your life? If not, something's wrong, and God wants to speak to you on it. Come and hear from His Word on this matter!