The Christian Family

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What's the secret to 66 years of marriage? When people ask me that question, my answer surprises them: "I didn't do it. God helped me." Drawing from decades of marriage and ministry, I share biblical wisdom for building marriages that last in a world where relationships often fracture.

The Christian family stands upon the revolutionary concept found in Ephesians 5:21: "Submitting yourselves one to another in the reverence of Christ." This mutual submission transforms how husbands and wives relate to each other. Rather than power struggles or domination, Christian marriage flourishes when both partners honor their God-given roles while respecting one another.

For husbands, Scripture provides a challenging standard: love your wife as Christ loved the church - sacrificially and selflessly. When a man truly loves his wife this way, he recognizes that hurting her ultimately hurts himself. They have become "one flesh" in God's eyes, creating a profound spiritual bond that transcends mere feelings or romance.

Women find their rightful dignity in the Christian home. Jesus Himself was the original liberator of women, elevating their status in a culture that often diminished them. From Mary at the cradle to the witnesses at the empty tomb, women played crucial roles in Jesus' ministry and the early church.

Children in the Christian home learn obedience "in the Lord," growing in an environment where God's authority is recognized and respected. Unlike today's "domestic cloverleaf" where family members merely pass each other en route to somewhere else, the Christian home prioritizes spiritual formation and togetherness.

God's design for marriage includes the gift of sexuality, created as "honorable" within the covenant relationship. Whether facing the distortions of our hypersexualized culture or lingering Victorian prudishness, Christians embrace God's good gift within His wise boundaries.

The foundation of lasting family relationships isn't feelings or compatibility but commitment to God's unchanging design. Like Joshua of old, we must declare, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." When Christ becomes the center of your family, you discover the grace that sustains through every season of life.

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