Any successful marriage is built upon the biblical truth that God designed each of us with five purposes in mind: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.
You and your
spouse were both shaped for serving God. The Bible says, "God has made us
what we are. In Christ Jesus, God has made us to do good works, which God
planned in advance for us to live our lives doing" (Ephesians 2:10, NCV).
God shapes us for
service through a variety of methods, including the challenges you face in your
marriage. We learn to be effective in ministry as we learn to serve our
spouses, and learn, with our spouses, godly, faithful responses to life's
problems and God's blessings.
Who could better
help somebody recover from the pain of an addiction, a business failure, or a
prodigal child than a couple who has been through these things and emerged with
godly insights?
Could it be that
the part of your marriage you regret or resent the most -- that which you've
wanted to hide or forget -- is the very thing God wants to use as your ministry
to help and encourage others sharing the same struggle? God doesn't just use
our strengths; he uses our weaknesses, and even our failures!
"As for you,
my friends, you were called to be free ... let love make you serve one
another." (Galatians 5:13, TEV)
Give hope, prayer,
and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.
BY RICK WARREN — MAY 21, 2014
