The Vow

I have been married for the past four and a half years.To whom you may wonder?Non other than Jesus.See Jesus referred to the Church as the bride.He made a direct link of His relationship with us,with that of a bride and groom.Marriage is a covenant,as a husband and wife are in a covenant so are we with God.

Let me draw a few comparisons of  a marriage relationship, with that of God.See when a couple fall in love for the first time and get married we refer to them as being in the  "honeymoon" phase. Everything is so right all the time and they just want to spend all their time together.They are in a season of bliss and  they have a strong desire for one another,they love how the other person makes them feel about themselves.
When we become born again we enter into a covenant with God.We go through pretty much the same feelings towards God as a newly wed couple.We are totally in love with Him,we want to shout to the whole world about our relationship with Him.We share Him with everyone because we cannot contain it.we love loving Him, we love how he make us feel,we love how he has transformed us.We hunger for His word,we spend hours in prayer with Him.

A few years down the line couples just don't seem so in love anymore,you don't see the same spark as when they where first in love,but  you see the relationship progressed from feeling based to something different.They do not love each other less, they just share a different kind of love.One that is not based on how the other person makes then feel, they have developed a deep friendship and respect that goes beyond just passion and butterflies.As much as they share that respect and friendship they are still at a stage where they stick in this relationship because of the mutual benefit they can get from it.
When we continue to pursue God,we enter into such a phase with Him.He becomes a friend ,someone we trust.We don't love Him  because of only how He make us feel,but there is still a certain level of expectancy from Him,we are there because of the advantage of a relationship with Him.

Then  several years later you see something very different in married couple's relationship.By now they have gone through hell and high waters.They have made it through adversities that had put severe strain on the relationship, but through it all they stayed together.They have come out stronger for it.See these things they went through together has moved their love to something so intense,that feelings or mutual benefit, is not the primary reason they are together.They have gone through so much that at a point they may have lost their desire for one other or may not have seen the benefit the marriage gave them at first.They stuck it through because the relationship has progressed from "how you make me feel" to "what is the benefit" to the finale stage of "Your needs are more important".This finale stage is unconditional love.Unconditional means that no matter what the circumstances are ,I will still love you.

God desires us to reach that level of intimacy with Him.His love for us has always been unconditional,we are the ones that go through these stages.He loved us even when we where sinners,when there seemed no reason to love us.He loved us in our disobedience and our sinful living.When you walk with God for a long time,you start loving Him simply because of who he is.You love Him when you receive a promotion,get married,got a new car and you love Him when you have lost everything you ever possessed in this world.Your relationship with God becomes so strong that circumstances do not dictate how you feel about Him.You don't walk out on Him when the going gets tough.

Marriages can go wrong when we don't commit ourselves from the very beginning that we are not in it for ourselves, but for the other person,when you decide to put their needs before yours.Our relationship with God becomes a burden when we only love God under certain circumstances,for some it may be when things are at its worst and for others when things are at its best.A relationship with God takes effort and commitment,it takes an attitude to stick it through no matter what the circumstances are in your life.That we put Him first,before our needs and wants.That we seek His kingdom first,that we love Him more than we do ourselves.The love God has  for us does not even come close to anything we can imagine,it is indescribable.He has given us that love from the very beginning.

The story of Peter and Silas in Acts 16:16-25 really shows us the depth of their love for God.They where beaten severely and in a prison cell,but their circumstances did not determine whether they will serve God or not.They praised Him despite their own misfortunes.Now that is love!!There are many biblical characters that we can look to to see their unconditional love for God: Mary(all of them),Paul,David,Abraham are but just a few to mention.

We have to realize we are married and our relationship with God will go through these stages.We have to stick it through and rely on God's strength to make it to the others side.We have to actively pursue God whether we feel like it or not.A husband and wife will not go for years without communication and sacrifice and expect a successful marriage.They will work on it daily and push through the unpleasantries.Why do we think we can get away with calling ourselves Christians and not actively work on our relationship with God.We wonder why we are not progressing in the relationship, but we put no effort in from our side.We expect God to do all the work, while we fornicate with the world.

Being in a relationship with God will require sacrifice.We will have to let go of anything that takes away our priority towards God.If movie time, Facebook,internet ,boyfriend,girlfriend ,husband,wife, children, reading,school absolutely anything takes first priority in your life,you have to stop and get your priorities straight.

I have had times in my life when I stopped actively pursue God.It did me no good.I learn daily that I need to desire and pursue God.Yes I fail at times,but when I fall He is ready to pick me up.

So for you that never realized this CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE MARRIED!!!"