Foundation for Family Life
by Pastor Faith Oyedepo, Week 1, April, 2008
Dear Reader,
You are welcome to this exciting moment in God’s presence. Because marriage is meant to be exciting, I see your marriage being full of excitement in Jesus’ name! This glorious month, I will be teaching on Marriage and Children. This week, I will be laying a foundation for the family as to what marriage is all about.
Marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. It is the foundation for the family, because until it is in place, there can be no family. A family is a social group in a society, consisting of a man, his wife and their offspring.
Marriage is a relationship between two people who are married or who have been joined together as husband and wife according to the law, custom, or church demands. Marriage is the foundation on which the life of every member of the family is built. After marriage comes the marital life or the life experience of a couple. They no more live like single individuals. Changes have occurred and are still occurring. Each party has to now consider his/her partner and not only him/herself.
When God created Adam, He placed him in the beautiful Garden of Eden. Endowed with superior intelligence, God commissioned him to name all cattle, the fowl of the air and every beast of the field (Genesis 2:20). One thing was lacking, however. Adam had no companion to love and communicate with. The Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make an help meet for him (Genesis 2:18).
To provide such a companion, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made her [or, builded] a woman, and brought he; unto the man (Genesis 2:21, 22). Imagine the surprise and joy to awaken and behold a beautiful woman! Adam called her Woman because she was taken out of him. It was then that God stated the purpose of marriage: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh (Genesis 2:24).
She was bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. This began the institution of marriage in a relationship of oneness. It is a blessed union for one man and one woman, which typifies the spiritual and eternal relationship of Christ and His bride – the Church.
God didn’t provide a male companion for Adam, but a very special complement to him. To promote the alarming increase of homosexuals as an “alternative lifestyle” is to actually disobey God and invite His judgment on such a perversion of His planned relationship for man and woman (Romans 1:24-32).
Adam being put to sleep that Eve might be ‘builded’ for him, is a beautiful picture of Christ suffering death on the cross that the church which is His bride might be formed. The love He showed in dying is set forth as the example for marriage. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). Then, as to the woman: Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing (Ephesians 5:24). Maintaining this balance in marriage will result in the blessing of true happiness.
If you want your marriage to be very exciting just as mine, you need to make Jesus Christ your source. To make Him your source, 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).