Marriage to be Held in Honor

Paul wrote to be content with where you are, and that marriage was not something that we should concern ourselves with. In fact in verse 38 of 1 Corinthians chapter 7 he wrote: “³⁸So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.” (ESV)

Now I read in Hebrews chapter 13:

“⁴Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” – Hebrews 13:4 (ESV)

When I read the two together, it can be a bit confusing when not taken in the right context. As I wrote referring to the verse in 1 Corinthians, I referred to the purpose of staying where we are as a means to focus our attention on God. Even Paul in the passage indicates that there is nothing wrong or sinful of marriage, only that we should refrain from those things that distract us from serving and pleasing God.

Now when I read the verse and passage in Hebrews chapter 13, I see that marriage is something to be held in honor. I have to remember, when I marry, it is for good and therefor I should be devoted to the sanctity of marriage and my wife Lori. And to take it a bit further as relates to the passage, that devotion is a sacrifice to pleasing God.

You see, if you did not know, marriage is hard and it takes a lot of work. There will be days that disagreements arise. There will be times that spouses do things that are not in line with communications that originally took place. There will be opportunities to stray from the devotion to the other. It is in those times that the honor of the marriage becomes a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Thinking of the other and the sanctity of the marriage and coming back to the love that brought you together in the first place that God looks down and smiles on the work you have done.

I am not the expert on marriage, as the items I listed in the above paragraph have all happened in my almost 25 years with Lori. But, the thing I keep coming back to are those words we uttered on April 19, 1997, “til death do us part”. I am devoted to her and our marriage. I gladly accept the sacrifice of that devotion and know that it is pleasing to God.

Where are you devoted? Are you able to accept the sacrifices that are pleasing to God? What if your marriage where held in honor and serves as a sacrifice that makes God smile?