Practical and Biblical Christian Marriage Advice
Marriage is meant to be a joyous and sacred union in the Christian life, but to some it can become a complex and challenging endeavor. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in an unhappy marriage, merely enduring a painful and difficult relationship.
By Mary Fairchild
The truth is, building a healthy marriage and keeping it strong requires work. Yet, the rewards of that effort are priceless and immeasurable. Before you give up, consider some godly Christian marriage advice that may bring hope and faith into your seemingly impossible situation.
How to Build Your Christian Marriage
While loving and lasting in marriage takes deliberate effort, it’s not all that complicated if you start with a few basic principles. The first is to build your marriage on a solid foundation–your faith in Jesus Christ. The second is to maintain an unshakable commitment to making your marriage work. These two basic principles can be greatly fortified by regularly practicing five simple activities:
Praying Together: Take time to pray with your spouse each and every day. Prayer not only brings you closer to each other, it deeply reinforces your relationships with the Lord.
Reading the Bible Together: Set aside regular times to read the Bible and have devotions together. Like praying together, sharing in God’s Word will greatly enrich your marriage. As you both allow the Lord and his Word to transform from the inside out, you will grow more in love with each other and in your devotion to Christ.
Making Important Decision Together: Agree to make the big decisions, like how finances are handled, together. You won’t be able to keep secrets from each other if you commit to making all of the important family decisions together. This is one of the best ways to develop trust and mutual respect as a couple.
Attending Church Together: Find a church where you and your spouse can worship, serve, and make Christian friends together. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, that one of the best ways to stir up love and encourage good deeds is by remaining faithful to the body of Christ. Being involved in a church also provides your family with a secure support system of friends and counselors to help you through the challenging times of life.
Nurturing Your Romance: Continue to date and develop your romance. Married couples often neglect this area, especially once they start having children. Keeping the romance alive will require some planning, but it’s vital to maintaining intimacy in marriage. Never stop doing and saying the romantic things you did when you first fell in love. Hug, kiss, and say I love you often. Listen to your spouse, hold hands, and take walks on the beach at sunset. Hold hands. Be kind and considerate to each other.
Show respect, laugh together, and notice when your spouse does something nice for you. Remember to admire and celebrate each other’s achievements in life.
If both of you only do these five things, not only is your marriage practically guaranteed to last, it will boldly testify to God’s design for Christian marriage.