The Joy of Marriage

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor. (Ephesians 5:25–27)

The reason there is so much misery in marriage is not that husbands and wives seek their own pleasure, but that they do not seek it in the pleasure of their spouses. The biblical mandate to husbands and wives is to seek your own joy in the joy of your spouse.

There is scarcely a more hedonistic passage in the Bible than the one on marriage in Ephesians 5:25–30. Husbands are told to love their wives the way Christ loved the church.

How did he love the church? “He gave himself up for her.” But why? “That he might sanctify and cleanse her.” But why did he want to do that? “That he might present the church to himself in splendor”!

Ah! There it is! “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What joy? The joy of marriage to his bride, the church.

Jesus does not want a dirty and unholy wife. Therefore, he was willing to die to “sanctify and cleanse” his betrothed so he could present to himself a wife “ in splendor.” He gained the desire of his heart by giving himself up for the good of his bride.

John Piper - Desiring God

God is Always Up to Something Good

Trials sometimes make us doubt God's presence, but we must be careful not to view them as evidence of God absence, but instead we should cling to the truth in God's word which says,

Romans 5:1-5 (ESV | emphasis added)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The past year has been one that has stretched me in ways I've never been stretched before. I've been tested in my faith, my theology, and my character. Many of these trials have come in shapes that I never would have expected, where God...in his providence...chose to pin some of the things I value most in my life against each other. While at first glance these situations could easily be viewed as the work of the enemy, hindsight has proven them to be the work of God. You see, the truth is that even the things the enemy attempts to use for his own evil gain, sift through the sovereign hands of God...and God is always up to something good in the life of the Christian. God works tirelessly, in the lives of his elect, to conform them into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. And regardless if it's a trial or a blessing, the aim in God's act is always the same.

I'm not sure where this post will find you in your faithwalk and Christian journey, but I'm hopeful that as you read it and (hopefully) listen to the song that I've included (below)...that your heart will be filled with joy at the work God is doing in your life. I pray that God will grant each of us the ability to look beyond our current circumstances and by his grace will give us the ability to "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8). I pray that each of us will have enough faith in God's goodness and sovereignty over all things, that we'll be able to trust in God's word and cling to the promise that, 

He who began a good work in [us] will be faithful in carrying that work on to it's completion. | (Phil. 1:6)

“Though You Slay Me” (featuring John Piper) from Desiring God on Vimeo.