What God has joined together

In my homegroup we have been reading a book called "Lies Women Believe: And the Truth That Sets Them Free" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This week's chapter was about marriage, and well, I just wanted to share the truths that she put in the book about marriage. Some of the things she wrote I hadn't really thought of before. - There is no marriage God cannot heal. There is no person God cannot change. - The primary purpose of marriage is not to be happy, buy to glorify God and reflect His redeeming, covenant love. - God uses the rough edges of each partner in a marriage to conform the other to the image of Christ. Your mate's weaknesses can become a tool in God's hand to make you into the woman He created you to be. - True love- God's love- is unconditional and never fails. We cannot love another human being perfectly on our own. But God can love anyone through us, if we are willing to let Him. Love is not a feeling; it is a commitment to act in the best interests of another. By God's grace, we can choose to love anyone, even if we do not have warm feelings toward that person. - Marriage is a covenant. God is a covenant-keeping God. He kept His promises to the nation of Israel, even when they were spiritually adulterous and pursued other lovers (see Jeremiah 11:10, Ex 20:16, Hosea 2:13). The Lord Jesus keeps His promises to His bride-the Church- even when we are unfaithful to Him. Because He is faithful to keep His promises, it is never right for us to break the marriage covenant that was intended to be a picture of the redemptive relationship between God and His people. - God has commanded us to forgive without limit. - Your faithfulness and willingness to extend sacrificial love to your mate may be the means of his spiritual healing, even as Christ's suffering was the means by which we were healed (1 Peter 2:24-25; 1 Corinthians 7:12-14) - You don't solve your problems by putting another pair of shoes under the bed. (Statistically, second marriages have a higher divorce rate than first marriages). - God's grace is sufficient to enable you to be faithful to your mate and to love and forgive without limit. - God will never forsake you. Regardless of what you must endure, He will be there to carry you through. - The rewards of faithfulness in this life may not be fully experienced until eternity. But faithfulness will be rewarded and it will be worth the wait! *I will make the disclaimer for her that she does speak of the importance of women being removed from abusive and volatile situations* Feel free to share any thoughts you may have :-)