Devotional: Real Marriages

This week’s topic of marriage is one that important to continually invest in. As a husband or wife our marriages have never “arrived” – they deserve and require a constant growth. For that very reason, in addition to the devotional below, we would like to suggest the following books as resources to use as you grow in your marriage:

The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

Discovering the Mind of A Woman, by Ken Nair

Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas

The Meaning of Marriage, by Tim Keller

The One Year Love Talk Devotional for Couples, by Les Parrot

Marriage is originally God’s idea–the Bible begins with a wedding in the book of Genesis (of Adam and Eve) and ends the book of Revelation with a wedding (of Christ and the Church). Jesus showed up to multiple weddings, and marriage is something discussed both by the Apostle Paul and Peter in the New Testament. In the Kingdom of God, a real marriage is meant to be an intimate, life-long friendship.

Although the Song of Solomon is not often explored, it is used by God to demonstrate the sanctity and beauty of marriage as God intended it, affirms monogamous love as God’s plan, and is a metaphor for Christ’s love for the Church.

Questions for Meditation

1. Song of Solomon 2:15 discusses the “little foxes” in the vineyard. What are the “little foxes” representative of?
2. What can happen when those “little foxes” are not addressed or taken care of?
3. Why is attention so important in marriage? What are some ways you can show attention to your spouse?
4. What does affirmation mean within the context of a marriage or relationship?
5. Was there ever a time where you may have neglected to show attention or affirmation to your spouse?
6. What is affection within the context of a marriage? Why is it so important?
7. When we’re aware of shortcomings in our marriage, what can we do to fix them?