Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

September is a month full of birthdays and anniversaries of people very near and dear to me. Each passing year that I get to celebrate these wonderful people is a testament to the faithfulness of God. Thus, God’s faithfulness is our focus for the week.

Today scripture, Psalms 63:3 (ERV),
tells God…
[3] Your faithful love is better than life, so my lips praise you.

Consider…
When I think of wedding anniversaries, I think of faithful love. Celebrating another year of life and love is truly a blessing from God. I also believe every moment of wedded bliss is a testimony of the faithfulness of God’s love.

There are two reasons for my belief.

First, Jesus testifies in Matthew 19:5-6 (ERV)…
[5] And God said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And the two people will become one.’ [6] So they are no longer two, but one. God has joined them together, so no one should separate them.”

Fact number one is that married couples who stay together are directed and protected by God.

That runs my mind to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ERV), which explains…
[9] Two people are better than one. When two people work together, they get more work done. [10] If one person falls, the other person can reach out to help. But those who are alone when they fall have no one to help them. [11] If two people sleep together, they will be warm. But a person sleeping alone will not be warm. [12] An enemy might be able to defeat one person, but two people can stand back-to-back to defend each other. And three people are even stronger. They are like a rope that has three parts wrapped together—it is very hard to break.

These verses are often referenced in weddings, with the third strand representing God.

As I wrote that, a clearer picture emerged of God being intertwined in a successful marriage.

That visual reminds me of the one Jesus provided in John 15:4-5 (ERV)…
[4] Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me. [5] “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything.

Fruitful marriages stay connected to Jesus. As a matter of fact, 1 Corinthians 11:3 (ERV) teaches…
[3] But I want you to understand this: The head of every man is Christ. And the head of a woman is the man. And the head of Christ is God.

You see, a properly aligned marriage begins under Christ’s and ends with God’s authority. The husband and wife are simply serving one another for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 (ERV) exhorts…
[21] Be willing to serve each other out of respect for Christ.

Successful marriages are mutually serving individuals out mutual respect for Christ, and how He sacrificially served them.

That takes me back to Jesus continuing in John 15:9-12 (ERV)…
[9] “I have loved you as the Father has loved me. Now continue in my love. [10] I have obeyed my Father’s commands, and he continues to love me. In the same way, if you obey my commands, I will continue to love you. [11] I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be completely happy. [12] This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you.

Successful marriages are made up of abiding and obedient lover’s like Christ!

Christ is the source, bond and example for successful married couples.

My second reason for believing that anniversaries are a testimony of God’s faithful love is found in Ephesians 5:31-33 (NLT), which explains…
[31] As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” [32] This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. [33] So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Highlighting verse 32, we see marriages are an illustration of the unbreakable bond between Christ and the church.

Just now, the Holy Spirit brought part of Jesus’ prayer for us to mind. He prayed in John 17:9-11 (NLT)…
[9] “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. [10] All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. [11] Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

In the same way a successful married couple stand united against all outside forces, so too did Jesus pray for our Heavenly Father to protect and unite us against all spiritual forces.

The Holy Spirit is highlighting Jesus’ emphasis on unity.

Unity isn’t the absence of differences, it’s the alignment of them for the same purpose.

The most common example is a choir with a myriad of different voices, that join in harmony or unison to make one melodious sound.

Unity focuses on oneness, or the sum of the parts being needed for the whole.

That’s what 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NLT) articulates…
[12] The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.

And it’s reiterated in Romans 12:4-5 (NLT)…
[4] Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, [5] so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Just like the body of Christ, successful marriages recognize the special functions of each other and that they both are important to the marriage functioning. They recognize the mutual need for each other.

I also liked that in 1 Corinthians 12:20-27 (NLT), Paul reiterated…
[20] Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. [21] The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” [22] In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. [23] And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, [24] while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. [25] This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. [26] If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. [27] All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

Like in Christ’s unified body, a unified marriage experiences everything as one and cares for each other.

I have witnessed this with the special couples I am blessed to celebrate with this month. They are true reflections of God’s devoted and faithful love.

The last point that the Holy Spirit is emphasizing from my second belief is that God gifts us to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) exhorts…
[10] God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

In successful marriages, the individual God given gifts are used to serve one another and then others for…

• God’s GLORY
• Others EDIFICATION
• To MAGNIFY His faithful love

Indeed marriages are God’s GEMs used to show the world the greatness and faithfulness of His love.

Thus, every anniversary is a reminder of faithfulness of God’s faithful love.

Today’s song is…
Real Love

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)