To Treat As Precious And Valuable

honor - To Treat as Precious and Valuable

Marriage is honorable among all. Hebrews 13:4

God is a jealous God who jealously guards His testimonies. He protected the ark of the covenant, bringing judgment upon those who would defile it. In 1 Kings 8 we read the testimony of glory filling the temple in such an awesome way that no one could stand. His presence was a testimony to Him and thus to be honored. Today, the ark is nowhere to be found and the temple is in ruins, but a powerful testimony remains.

Marriage is a testimony to God and it is to be honored. Paul speaks of this testimony as he encourages us to become one, making reference to the example of Christ’s loving the church (Ephesians 5:25). It’s almost as if Paul were saying, “If you want to see the reality of Christ’s love, spend some time with David and Teresa and:

See how they live out a divine acceptance of one another in spite of their being so different from one another (see Romans 15:7);

Learn how deeply they’ve hurt and betrayed one another, and then observe a forgiveness that can only be divine (see Ephesians 4:31-32); and

Notice their tenderhearted care and comfort for one another and remember that it only comes from the God of all comfort (see 2 Corinthians 1:2-4).”

God has chosen many ways to honor Himself on this earth, and one of the ways He chose is my (David’s) marriage.

Teresa and I had been married several years before I began to honor our marriage with divine importance. Too many other priorities had crowded it out, but after God’s gentle intervention in our lives, my priorities began to change.

In what specific ways can you and your spouse honor God through your marriage?