COMMITTMENT TO YOUR SPOUSE

by Pastor Faith Oyedepo, Week 1, March, 2008
Dear Reader, Behind any successful relationship and marriage is commitment. It is a vital tool that holds marriage together. The level of your commitment to your relationship with your husband, wife or family members will ultimately determine how heavenly your home will be. For you to be committed to your husband, wife and family members, first and foremost, you must be committed to God if commitment to your spouse will yield a positive result. All through this month, I will be sharing with you certain factors that can help you to be committed to your spouse. This week, I will be focusing on commitment to God. The Word of God says, For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God (Hebrews 3:4). That means all your efforts to build a heavenly home will amount to nothing without the help of God. God is really all you need to have all your needs met. Without God you can do nothing. That is, without commitment to God in your marriage, you cannot be committed to your spouse. The Word of God says, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5). In actual fact, any man or woman who is genuinely committed to God is bound to be committed to the success of his or her home, because he or she will endeavour to obey God. Let me say this to single men and women, before you marry any man or woman, ensure that he or she is genuinely committed to God, because if he or she is not, it will affect the success of the home. I remember my husband (then my fianc?) writing a paper titled ?Sailing Under Sealed Orders.? One thing that struck me most in that vow of commitment to God was the phrase, ?Christ is either Lord of all or not Lord at all?? I rejoiced when I read it and even had to sign that I would allow him to serve God completely and unreservedly. That is why I am not surprised at his commitment to our home, because his commitment to God is unquestionable. However, commitment to God must find expression in your commitment to your spouse and family members. Commitment to God and to your spouse is like a bicycle. Each wheel represents these two levels of commitments. Commitment is what drives a man to love his wife despite how he feels or what she has done or failed to do. It is also a driving force in a woman that is submissive to her husband. Any man you see who finds it difficult to love his wife or makes excuses for not loving her is not committed to making that marriage work. If you are a stubborn and naughty wife, who refuses to submit to her husband, your problem is simply lack of commitment! If you are committed to the success of your marriage, you will not need anyone to advise you; you will willingly and excitedly submit to your husband, and your husband will express his love for you. A lady once wrote me and said, ?I started reading your articles in one of the daily newspapers after I got born-again in November 1998. I gained a lot from most of what you discussed in the articles. I am married with four children and used to do many things that were not right to my husband. But as soon as I read your articles, I made a change. Whenever I want to fight my husband, I remember your article on how to be patient with our husbands, and I stop. You have taught me a lot about marriage, so I don?t miss that newspaper.? It is time to get committed if you desire a heavenly home. To be committed to God, the first thing you need to do is to give your life to Christ that is where commitment begins from. To be committed to Him, you need to surrender your life to Him. This entails confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you are ready for this new birth experience, please say this prayer: Dear Lord, I come to you today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with your precious Blood. I accept you as my Lord and Savious. Now I know I am born again! If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21). Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through: E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 234-1-7747546-8; For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Book Stores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian book stores. ’ Marriage Covenant ’ Making Marriage Work ’ Building a Successful Family ’ Success in Marriage (Co-Authored with Bishop David Oyedepo).