5 Ways to Center Our Marriage in Jesus
Our greatest hope in marriage is to center it in Jesus.
My love story with Christ began when I was sixteen as I gave my life and heart to Jesus.
Then, my love story with my husband, Mike, began when I was twenty. He heard me share my Jesus story at a college event. We were also in a sociology class together, Marriage and Family. I know—crazy!
Since we were both Christians, we became friends. After a few months, we went on our first date and dated over the next three years. We had a long engagement before we said, “I do.”
But there’s one thing I’ve learned in marriage over the years. The only thing that gives marriage real hope is to center it in Jesus Christ.
When we accept Jesus as Savior, He desires we center every area of our lives in Him. So it makes good spiritual and biblical sense to keep Jesus center in our marriage too.
When we accept Jesus as Savior, He desires we center every area of our lives in Him. So it makes good spiritual and biblical sense to keep Jesus center in our marriage too. #marriage Click To TweetHere are 5 ways to keep Jesus center in our marriage.
(1.) Run to Christ for deep and wide and high love.
Jesus Christ is the only source of authentic love. We may know this truth, but we often forget to go to the source of real love. And then we find ourselves looking to other things, especially our spouse, for what only Jesus provides.
Going to Jesus helps us live satisfied with love from our Savior. The love in our marriage becomes a by-product of a much deeper and more authentic love.
“May have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:18-19 (NIV)
(2.) Center our marriage in true love.
1 Corinthians 13 tells us what love is and what love is not. Love is: patient, kind, rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never ends. Love is not: envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, demanding of its own way, irritable, resentful, and a rejoicing in wrongdoing.
Let the love of Christ shine through us. His love is seen in our eyes, heard in our words, and felt in our touch. A heart beating in rhythm to the love of Christ helps draw an unbelieving spouse to Jesus and a believing one closer to Christ.
(3.) Resolve to make our personal walk with Jesus stronger than ever.
It is only in Christ that all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Develop a plan to grow our relationship with God as part of a daily routine. Spend time alone talking with God, praying, reading Scripture, and worshiping. Both husband and wife doing this makes for a strong marriage centered in Jesus.
Marriage grounded in the true love of Christ and founded on biblical principles.
When both husband and wife develop a strong personal walk with Jesus, the marriage becomes grounded in the true love of Christ and founded on biblical principles. #marriage Click To Tweet(4.) Look to the holy One in holy matrimony. Jesus.
In the Bible we see how Jesus modeled love with serving and holiness.
Although Godly examples of marriage help us in what to strive for, Jesus provides the opportunity to experience this type of holy matrimony through getting to know Him intimately and modeling His life and ways as we follow Him daily.
By looking to Jesus as our model of holiness and serving in marriage, we understand that hope in our marriage is a person. Jesus.
Reflections: Do I carry my cross daily in my walk with the Lord? What about in my marriage?
By looking to Jesus as our model of holiness and serving in marriage, we understand that hope in our marriage is a person. Jesus. He's the holy One in holy matrimony. Click To Tweet(5.) Center our marriage on biblical principles.
Genesis 2:24 points us to the start of any marriage: a man leaves his parents, holds fast to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us that a strong marriage is the union of husband, wife, and the Lord, and a cord of three strands is not easily broken.
Ephesians 5:25 encourages husbands to love wives as “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (ESV). And verse 22 teaches wives to view husbands as her head and for both husband and wife to see Christ as head of the church, head of their marriage.
Center Our Marriage in Jesus
Let’s learn from the One who created marriage. How to not only survive in marriage, but thrive.
Which point speaks the most to you? What would you add?
See also: I love Jesus: Staying in Love With Him
Featured images from our YouTube Channel: Friday’s Forever
Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Inspire Me Monday/Tell His Story/Recharge Wednesday/Let’s Have Coffee/Tune in Thursday/Heart Encouragement/Embracing the Unexpected (Grace & Truth) and Faith On Fire.
Check out our podcast where we discuss adventures on our YouTube channel, Friday’s Forever, and chat about this article.
© 2021 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
When Jesus isn’t the focus of a marriage, it is likely not to last. Your words here are so wise, Karen. I hope others who might be struggling in their marriages will take your advice.
Blessings!
It’s all about focus, isn’t it Martha? Where we place our focus will determine what path we go down. That’s why in marriage Jesus is front and center!
Your posts are always wisdom-filled and God-inspired my friend. Thank you for your thoughts on this important topic. God’s blessings.
Appreciate your kindness, J.D. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
This is an excellent post about what keeps us and our marriages centered on Jesus. Without him, his love, and his ability to produce love within our hearts for one another, our marriages would be far more difficult, and we would often not make it through. We rely on Jesus for the ability to forgive and to love one another unconditionally. Thankfully, Jesus provides all we need to build and to maintain strong marriages. Next year my husband and I will have been married for 45 years. This wouldn’t have been possible without the love that only Jesus can provide, enabling us to forgive, to prioritize one another, and to love one another more each year that passes.
Melinda, 45 years is a wonderful milestone. One, few make it to. Especially in our present day. And isn’t it wonderful that not only does the Lord tell us how to live fully for him and do this thing called life by his Word, but he also “provides all we need to build and to maintain strong marriages.” He provides the detials and the equipping!
Thank you for your awesome advice. We must keep Jesus in the center of our marriages.
Our greatest hope in marriage is to center it in Jesus.
I love this. I’m married for the second time, and my first marriage, sadly, failed. It was not centered on God, and I know that’s why. But my husband (who I adore soooo much!) and I today keep Christ at the center. We try hard to love each other the way God wants us to. And we turn to God daily. It makes a huge difference.
It makes all the difference in the world, Jessica. I can tell from your writings and your YouTube channel your marriage is strong and loving, built on Jesus!
Excellent advice. pinned
Thanks so much, Mandy and for sharing!
#5, centering our marriage on Christian Principles. From Jesus we learn what true love is as he demonstrates it. We learn how to treat one another and not be selfish. We learn that marriage is not about me. It helps to have something to model my marriage after.
Yes, Theresa, looking to the Bible for how to live our spiritual principles within our marriage is a great way to center it in Christ and him alone. Then, “me” steps aside for “we.”
Very good advice. It’s only by looking to Christ that we can love as He does.
Barbara, with 1 Corinthians 13 telling us what love is and is not; and with Christ modeling love and holiness and serving in relationships, we are on the right track for long-lasting marriage.
Having been married for 40+ years, I can unequivocally say this is excellent, wise, and practical advice!
Thank you, Ava! After all, God created marriage, it makes sense to look to him for help.
Great post! Much needed during these days of division.
My husband and I parted ways and he married a woman with the same name as me. They divorced and we remarried. The difference this time has been keeping God in front of us. We are still a work in progress, but far better than the first time around.
Wow, what a testimony, Jeanne. I did not know this part of your story. It’s great to hear about couples who remarry each other and place Christ first. And all marriages are a work in progress! God bless!
Amen. My husband Alan and I have been married for over 42 years. We have learned to place God first in our marriage.
That’s wonderful, Melissa. It’s our sure and certain hope in marriage.
Excellent article! I’ve been married nearly 30 years now, and I agree 100% with the “triple braided cord that is not easily broken“ – that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. He is the glue that keeps our marriage together!
So true, Lisa! He holds all things together! Then we thrive in marriage, not just survive!
Oh yes, Karen! As we find our neediness and healing and identity met in Christ alone, we come to our spouses whole and healthy and not expecting them to be our everything. Therein lies a freedom and joy and connection that emerges because of His great love for us.
Good insight, Linda. The only way each spouse becomes whole and healthy is through Jesus! He IS our all and all!
Karen, being married has surely grown my walk with God. It’s been through the ups and downs that we have learned to depend on the faithfulness, grace and mercy of the Lord. “Let’s learn from the One who created marriage. How to not only survive in marriage, but thrive.” Amen!
That thriving, Joanne, comes when we center Jesus right smack dab in the middle of every up and down!