Mark 10:9
God is keenly interested in marriage and the home setting. According to Mark 10:9, he is the one who joins a couple together to make them married. The Pastor, or officiating minister, who pronounces a couple as man and wife is just a representative of God in the wedding. Once a couple agrees to become man and wife officially, God seals them together and reckons them as married.
According to God’s plan, he wants a couple to stay together, till any one of them dies. A married couple is not just two people living together, they have become one flesh in God’s sight. God sees them as one inseparable entity as long as they live (Mark 10:8). That is why the Bible expressly warns us not to put asunder the man and woman God has joined together in Mark 10:9. God is not pleased with divorce; it is not his plan for any marriage (Malachi 2:16).
However, divorce is the order of the day in the modern world. At the slightest inconvenience in marriage, most people opt for divorce. What God is saying to all couples and intending couples is that there is nothing he cannot fix.
When issues happen in marriage, you can always run back to God who joined you and your partner together and ask him to help you out. In addition, there must be a strong resolve between you and your partner to stay together and make things work. Without this, divorce will be an attractive option to you.
The Bond Of Love
Indeed, marriage is not a bed of roses, it is filled with highs and lows. However, God’s love is the anchor that holds a marriage through stormy seas. Every successful marriage consists of a man and woman who choose to stay together and make things work.
You must allow God’s love to flow from you to your partner. Be quick to admit your faults and apologize when needed. Divorce will never see the light of day in a home where God’s love reigns supreme.
The binding force that holds the couple God has joined together is his love. It is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14). Once the bond of love is gone, divorce may be inevitable.
Love helps you to overlook your partner’s faults and accept them despite their mistakes. When you and your partner can only find faults in one another, you need God’s love afresh in your marriage. The Bible shows us the characteristics of God’s love in 1 Corinthians 13. You can perform a study on this chapter with your partner and see where you both need to improve upon in your relationship with one another. As you journey in marriage, keep praying for the love of God to be expressed more in you and your partner.
Marriage consists of two imperfect people who are perfectly joined together by God’s love. If you are on the brink of divorce, give God’s love a chance. Allow his love to fill your heart and that of your partner. God’s love can fix impossible situations. God’s love is the perfect antidote for divorce.
King James Version (KJV)
“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
New International Version (NIV)
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
New American Bible (NASB)
“Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
The Living Bible (TLB)
“And no man may separate what God has joined together.”