A Happy Home
Today's Verse:
House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD. ~Proverbs 19:14
Solomon had many things to say about marriage, husbands, and wives. He may have drawn from the experience of his own marriage. He may have drawn from the many counseling sessions that he had with husbands and wives that struggled in their relationships. He understood the incredible responsibilities vested in marriage. He understood the things that helped a marriage become successful, and that which made a marriage fail. This morning, we want to see what Solomon had to say concerning a happy home.
We see the exaltation of marriage.
Solomon said, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” He said that, “A prudent wife is from the LORD.” Marriage is a gift from God. Jesus said, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Paul said, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled.” Marriage is exalted for the purpose of companionship. It is exalted for the purpose of closeness and consolidation. It is exalted for the purpose of childbearing. In marriage, husbands and wives leave two separate lives and are to attain oneness. Oneness is the means by which a marriage is successful.
We see the exercise in marriage.
Marriage takes a lot of work, effort, and consideration. Unlike anything else that we do in life, marriage is the greatest investment that a husband and wife must make. You must put in more than what you take out. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. The greatest beauty of a Christian wife is her spirit and godliness. Her adorning is to be that of "the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life... and worketh willingly with her hands.” Understand and accept your role as a wife and husband in order for your marriage to be blessed.
We see the exasperation in marriage.
Every woman is wired to be very candid and expressive. Her words and speech can be constructive or cankerous. “She that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” “A gracious woman retaineth honor.” “The contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.” “It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.” A woman who is contentious, argumentative, complaining, nagging, critical, and driven to prove that she is always right will have a marriage filled with hostility, loneliness, and bitterness. Men who are lazy, inconsiderate, and unspiritual husbands can turn a gentle woman into an anxious wreck. We must be cautious of our words, our reactions, and our spirit in our marriages.
We see the expectation in marriage.
Solomon said, “A prudent wife is from the LORD.” A fulfilling marriage is one where each spouse lives to make the other spouse happy, contented, and satisfied. Be complimentary more than being critical. Be proactive and not reactive. Have margins in your schedule every day for each other just to enjoy talking, praying, and having fun. Be careful of the good things that you are involved with overtaking your marriage. Be prudent! A selfish person disables a marriage. A giving person enables a marriage. Your spouse cannot be the model spouse you dream for unless you do your part in being the husband who loves and the wife who submits.
Accept responsibility for your role in marriage. Humble yourself, and decide that your spouse is God’s gift to you and that he or she is deserving of much more than what you have invested.
Have a considerate God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Exodus 19-21