Insights on Marriage and Divorce on Oneplace.com

In the previous message, we learned that God’s plan for remodeling a house into a home calls for some specific behaviors and attitudes which serve as bricks or building blocks for the relationship. Some of these bricks are contributed by the wife and some by the husband. Regrettably, both sets of bricks can be substituted with cheap imitations. These may seem to be adequate and acceptable at first, but over the long haul, they cause great damage.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Everyone expects the dangers of this world to attack from outside the comforts of home. However, with divorces taking place at alarming rates, attacks from without are being replaced with staggering disintegration from within. Divorce stands as the final ruin of a house that has fallen in on itself. If you or a member of your family hasn’t fallen victim to divorce, it almost certainly has affected a number of your friends and acquaintances. The reality of crumbling marriages in our world should cause God’s people to stand up and take notice. Thankfully, the Bible provides clear direction regarding the proper materials it takes to build a lasting marriage.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Everyone expects the dangers of this world to attack from outside the comforts of home. However, with divorces taking place at alarming rates, attacks from without are being replaced with staggering disintegration from within. Divorce stands as the final ruin of a house that has fallen in on itself. If you or a member of your family hasn’t fallen victim to divorce, it almost certainly has affected a number of your friends and acquaintances. The reality of crumbling marriages in our world should cause God’s people to stand up and take notice. Thankfully, the Bible provides clear direction regarding the proper materials it takes to build a lasting marriage.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Everyone expects the dangers of this world to attack from outside the comforts of home. However, with divorces taking place at alarming rates, attacks from without are being replaced with staggering disintegration from within. Divorce stands as the final ruin of a house that has fallen in on itself. If you or a member of your family hasn’t fallen victim to divorce, it almost certainly has affected a number of your friends and acquaintances. The reality of crumbling marriages in our world should cause God’s people to stand up and take notice. Thankfully, the Bible provides clear direction regarding the proper materials it takes to build a lasting marriage.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

The air today is filled with the shrill cry of “my rights.” In the center ring of this loud arena is the home—more specifically, the marriage bond. Mate-swapping, group marriages, and living together without official marriage commitments are realities no longer carried out under the hush-hush blanket of shame and disgrace. Some couples are even accepting practices that just a couple of decades ago were taboo, introducing infidelity and pornography into the marriage bed. In all these alternative lifestyles, the Bible is either ignored altogether or rationalized to extremes. Is monogamy an outdated concept? In this message, we look at what the Bible says about the value of a one-spouse-only relationship so that we might uphold and defend God’s design.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

The air today is filled with the shrill cry of “my rights.” In the center ring of this loud arena is the home—more specifically, the marriage bond. Mate-swapping, group marriages, and living together without official marriage commitments are realities no longer carried out under the hush-hush blanket of shame and disgrace. Some couples are even accepting practices that just a couple of decades ago were taboo, introducing infidelity and pornography into the marriage bed. In all these alternative lifestyles, the Bible is either ignored altogether or rationalized to extremes. Is monogamy an outdated concept? In this message, we look at what the Bible says about the value of a one-spouse-only relationship so that we might uphold and defend God’s design.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Damage to a marriage can begin even before the vows. Among the greatest threats to a new union are the young bride and groom’s thoughts about what life with a new spouse will be like. Expectations often lead to broken dreams, as invariably, young couples fall into the trap of looking forward to a non-existent reality. On the doorstep of sealing their marriage bond, many people anticipate that after a few years of hard work and perseverance, they will settle into ideal marriages. However, there is no ideal marriage this side of sin. Instead, marriage promises a lifetime of two people striving together for maturity. Without this realistic perspective, a couple’s view of the foundation of marriage becomes fractured and in need of repair.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Damage to a marriage can begin even before the vows. Among the greatest threats to a new union are the young bride and groom’s thoughts about what life with a new spouse will be like. Expectations often lead to broken dreams, as invariably, young couples fall into the trap of looking forward to a non-existent reality. On the doorstep of sealing their marriage bond, many people anticipate that after a few years of hard work and perseverance, they will settle into ideal marriages. However, there is no ideal marriage this side of sin. Instead, marriage promises a lifetime of two people striving together for maturity. Without this realistic perspective, a couple’s view of the foundation of marriage becomes fractured and in need of repair.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Changes are never cheap. Remodeling a house is expensive . . . but restoring a home is infinitely more costly! No one ever worked through a difficult, hurting marriage without paying a very high price. This fact alone causes many partners to refuse the process. The pain of changing is, in the opinion of many, too great to bear. But for those who do change, how sweet it is! God declares that the husband-wife relationship is to portray the deep, close, loving relationship Christ has with His bride, the church. When a Christian marriage is dissolved, God loses one of the greatest theological seminaries in the world. How difficult it becomes to declare the love of Christ when marriages are destroyed!Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Changes are never cheap. Remodeling a house is expensive . . . but restoring a home is infinitely more costly! No one ever worked through a difficult, hurting marriage without paying a very high price. This fact alone causes many partners to refuse the process. The pain of changing is, in the opinion of many, too great to bear. But for those who do change, how sweet it is! God declares that the husband-wife relationship is to portray the deep, close, loving relationship Christ has with His bride, the church. When a Christian marriage is dissolved, God loses one of the greatest theological seminaries in the world. How difficult it becomes to declare the love of Christ when marriages are destroyed!Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

When we think of institutions, we often think of places where delinquent, defective, or dependent people need help and a place to stay away from society. This could well describe the institution of marriage today—an arrangement to pair together delinquent, defective, and dependent people, not for a lifetime but merely for a time. For many marriages, this definition is all too true. But it doesn’t have to describe your marriage. The institution of marriage has fallen on hard times—divorce rates are soaring, men and women are testing the marriage waters by living together first, to say nothing about society’s attempts to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. But marriage is a divinely designed institution, and if marriage is to thrive in an increasingly hostile culture, then we must first consult the architect of marriage . . . God.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

When we think of institutions, we often think of places where delinquent, defective, or dependent people need help and a place to stay away from society. This could well describe the institution of marriage today—an arrangement to pair together delinquent, defective, and dependent people, not for a lifetime but merely for a time. For many marriages, this definition is all too true. But it doesn’t have to describe your marriage. The institution of marriage has fallen on hard times—divorce rates are soaring, men and women are testing the marriage waters by living together first, to say nothing about society’s attempts to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. But marriage is a divinely designed institution, and if marriage is to thrive in an increasingly hostile culture, then we must first consult the architect of marriage . . . God.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

When we think of institutions, we often think of places where delinquent, defective, or dependent people need help and a place to stay away from society. This could well describe the institution of marriage today—an arrangement to pair together delinquent, defective, and dependent people, not for a lifetime but merely for a time. For many marriages, this definition is all too true. But it doesn’t have to describe your marriage. The institution of marriage has fallen on hard times—divorce rates are soaring, men and women are testing the marriage waters by living together first, to say nothing about society’s attempts to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. But marriage is a divinely designed institution, and if marriage is to thrive in an increasingly hostile culture, then we must first consult the architect of marriage . . . God.Download Message Mates To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

All marriages are happy—it’s the living together afterward that’s tough! We smile, knowing how true such a statement really is. After the flowers, the candles, the music, and the vows, there inevitably follows the day-to-day reality of living as partners: the stress of financial deadlines, the demands brought on by occupational hassles, the breakdown of communication, the misunderstandings that grow from sexual disharmony, and the lingering offenses not dealt with. The list seems endless. Peter was a married man. He understood the importance of domestic harmony. Under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, he wrote words of wise and workable counsel for all to heed. In spite of the centuries that separate us from Peter’s day, these principles are still appropriate. They work; so let’s listen!Download Message Mate To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

All marriages are happy—it’s the living together afterward that’s tough! We smile, knowing how true such a statement really is. After the flowers, the candles, the music, and the vows, there inevitably follows the day-to-day reality of living as partners: the stress of financial deadlines, the demands brought on by occupational hassles, the breakdown of communication, the misunderstandings that grow from sexual disharmony, and the lingering offenses not dealt with. The list seems endless. Peter was a married man. He understood the importance of domestic harmony. Under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, he wrote words of wise and workable counsel for all to heed. In spite of the centuries that separate us from Peter’s day, these principles are still appropriate. They work; so let’s listen!Download Message Mate To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

All marriages are happy—it’s the living together afterward that’s tough! We smile, knowing how true such a statement really is. After the flowers, the candles, the music, and the vows, there inevitably follows the day-to-day reality of living as partners: the stress of financial deadlines, the demands brought on by occupational hassles, the breakdown of communication, the misunderstandings that grow from sexual disharmony, and the lingering offenses not dealt with. The list seems endless. Peter was a married man. He understood the importance of domestic harmony. Under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, he wrote words of wise and workable counsel for all to heed. In spite of the centuries that separate us from Peter’s day, these principles are still appropriate. They work; so let’s listen!Download Message Mate To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Have you ever noticed that the valuable things of this world take time to accomplish? Often, the more valuable they are, the more time they take to maintain and to appreciate. Marriage is one of the most valuable relationships God has given us. But in our fast-paced society, people seem less and less likely to give marriage the time it needs to grow and mature into something beautiful and holy. Instead, we give up on the pattern God instituted, looking for quick fixes and easy outs. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us that there is a better way.Download Message Mate To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Have you ever noticed that the valuable things of this world take time to accomplish? Often, the more valuable they are, the more time they take to maintain and to appreciate. Marriage is one of the most valuable relationships God has given us. But in our fast-paced society, people seem less and less likely to give marriage the time it needs to grow and mature into something beautiful and holy. Instead, we give up on the pattern God instituted, looking for quick fixes and easy outs. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us that there is a better way.Download Message Mate To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Have you ever noticed that the valuable things of this world take time to accomplish? Often, the more valuable they are, the more time they take to maintain and to appreciate. Marriage is one of the most valuable relationships God has given us. But in our fast-paced society, people seem less and less likely to give marriage the time it needs to grow and mature into something beautiful and holy. Instead, we give up on the pattern God instituted, looking for quick fixes and easy outs. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us that there is a better way.Download Message Mate To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29

Ancient maps made before the earth had been circumnavigated often portrayed the unexplored areas with fire-breathing dragons. These scaly, frightening figures served to represent the fears of the people, as if to say, “Here be dragons.” In our current cultural climate, one in which egalitarianism is valued above all else, Ephesians 5:22-6:9 presents unfamiliar, often unexplored territory in the oceans of marriage. It is to such concepts as authority, submission, and daily self-sacrifice that we come, cautiously and thoughtfully, knowing that “here be dragons.”Download Message Mate To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29