The Value Of Marriage

Guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.

Malachi 2:15

YOU CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS. But happiness can pay dividends, especially in your marriage. Economists David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald calculated the “compensation value” of marriage by surveying 100,000 American and British couples from the 1970s to the 1990s. After compiling mounds of data and working through complex equations, they found that a happy marriage was worth $100,000 annually. As you can see, working toward a happy marriage makes a lot of sense (and cents)!

God doesn’t mince words when it comes to marriage. He wants you to love and honor your wife in a lifelong covenant relationship. Yet many times we find ourselves frustrated in our most important relationship. Those frustrations can bubble over into hurtful words or neglectful actions.

Being in a marriage isn’t easy. We must watch ourselves carefully so that we “do not act treacherously against the wife of [our] youth” (Malachi 2:15, HCSB). “Acting treacherously” doesn’t necessarily mean having an affair or emotionally checking out of the marriage. A treacherous act is anything that undermines the relationship, and it can be as simple as not honoring your wife’s opinion. Instead of taking little bits out of your wife’s heart, invest in building her up. God urges men to treat their wives well for many reasons. Happiness is just one of them.

BOTTOM LINE

Watch yourself carefully so that you treat your wife the way God wants you to. It’s not always easy, but it’s always the right thing to do.

Moment of Strength: Ephesians 5:25