OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL 2017

Saturday December 23, 2017

MARRIAGE: COMPANIONSHIP.

Memorise : And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.- Genesis 2:18

Read : Genesis 2:15-18

2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.


MESSAGE :


Quite a number of people today enter into marriage for all the wrong reasons, which is why we need to ask ourselves this question: Why marriage?

The first reason is companionship. To fully understand God’s purpose, let’s take a look at the beginning. After God created the firmament, the seas, all plants and animals, He afterwards made man in the Garden of Eden. However, as He watched life unfold, He realized that of all the creatures, it was only Adam who had no one of his kind.

The trees could reproduce through their seeds; the animals also had male and female species and could thereby multiply. Adam only was the lone ranger in this earthly paradise. Yes, he was in charge. Agreed, he was the god of the whole earth as at that time. Indeed, all animals, birds and fish submitted to him, and true, he had a great relationship with them all, but God still saw that there was an issue of loneliness with Adam that no pet or animal could solve. In Genesis 2:18, the Bible says,

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”

God categorically said it is not good for a man to be alone. It is great to go through bachelorhood and spinsterhood during your youthful days. It is an experience you may never get back after going past that stage in life. Nevertheless, at some point, God wants you to be married. He wants you to have a worthy companion.

Today, in many homes, companionship is still lacking even after marriage. This is quite unfortunate! Couples marry and stay far apart from each other; this is a recipe for disaster and negates the basis for marriage in the first place. A marriage relationship cannot be what it was meant to be as long as the vital ingredient of companionship is missing. For this reason, if a couple who have been married for 30 years become separated for some 10 to 15 years, by the time they come together again, they would be like total strangers to each other.

Are you married? Is your spouse your companion? Some people are ashamed to attend social outings with their wives; why then did you marry her? Do you spend time in each other’s company? Do you enjoy the company of your spouse or do you prefer to keep company with other people? Your legally wedded spouse should be your ideal companion! Is it so with you?

KEY POINT :
Pets are fast replacing human spouses as companions! We are really in perilous times. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR :
Proverb 17-20;
Zachariah 11:1-14
                                            

HYMN 16: GOOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES

1.      God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master’s will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

2.      God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

3.      God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in caring quest,
Strives to show others Your way is best,
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

4.      God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!