Category: Marriage & Family

Biblical teaching about marriage, family, home, and relationships.

  • Peaceful Homes & Refining of Hearts

    Proverbs 17 outlines Solomon’s wisdom regarding relationships, speech, integrity, and the condition of the heart. 

    Key themes include a preference for peace and contentment over wealth, as a quiet, calm home is often considered more desirable than one filled with feasting and conflict (v. 1). True happiness is found in spiritual harmony, not physical abundance. 

    Lord, help me to be grateful for what You provide and to focus on truly good things. May this focus permeate throughout my home, where my wife and children reside, fostering a deep commitment to spiritual wellness. Provide a physical increase, therefore, only as You see fit. 

    Another key theme in this chapter is the testing of character. Just as fire refines silver and gold, the Lord tests the hearts of people (v. 3). God often uses trials to reveal and strengthen character! 

    Father, I pray You will provide me with circumstances to enable spiritual, mental, and emotional growth. Surround me with others who will facilitate such development and do the same for my wife and children. 

    The value of wisdom and understanding is another significant theme. Wise individuals learn from correction while fools resist it. The discerning person keeps their eyes on wisdom, while the fool’s attention continually wanders (vv. 10, 24). Additionally, wise people choose their words carefully, as even silence can reflect understanding. Moreover, controlling one’s tongue is a sign of true wisdom (vv. 27, 28). 

    Father, help me to overcome the distractions in my life. With social media, entertainment options, and the like, it’s so easy to become distracted instead of pursuing a closer and more profound connection with You. I desire greater focus upon the spiritual realities of the universe You’ve created. Teach me to control my thoughts, tongue, and actions so that I may glorify You in all things! 

    This chapter also discusses familial relationships (vv. 6, 21, 25). Family can bring both joy and grief; as a wise child honors their parents and brings them pride, while a foolish child causes sorrow and regret. 

    Father, I want to bring You joy! Therefore, I pray for strength and wisdom to grow and behave appropriately in every circumstance. I also want to make my earthly father proud; I wish to lead my children in seeking Your will, too, as there is no greater joy than knowing my children walk in truth! 

    Justice and fairness are also addressed (vv. 15, 23, 26). God detests unjust practices, such as justifying the wicked or condemning the innocent. Indeed, integrity in judgment reflects God’s righteousness. 

    We live in a world where many oppose what is good while promoting evil. It’s easy for me to notice this trait in others, but I must remain vigilant against showing partiality based on personal preferences & relationships. Father, enable me with wisdom and boldness to be both just and impartial, ALWAYS seeking to exercise Your will. 

    Concerning friendship and loyalty, Solomon states, “a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (v. 17, New King James Version). Genuine love and loyalty are proven in times of hardship! 

    Father, I want to be a loyal friend, first and foremost to You, but also to others who rely upon me. May I never neglect, nor give up, on those who are struggling; strengthen my resolve to be compassionate, just as Jesus, continually supporting and serving others. 

    Finally, the chapter touches on self-control & patience (vv. 14, 19). It is wise to stop quarrels before they escalate; those who love strife invite destruction. And overall, Proverbs 17 teaches that wisdom is reflected in peaceful relationships, controlled speech, moral integrity, and steadfast love. 

    Oh, Father, envelop me with Your wisdom, and may I utilize it ALL! Grant me wisdom and strength, and I hereby commit to using your blessings properly!! Be with me, ALWAYS, Father!!! Amen.

  • Bitter Honey or a Joyful Wife?

    The wise man repeatedly warns the young man against the wicked woman. In these chapters, which speak as a father to a son, he also cautions against the path of the evil man. However, he returns to the warning about the wicked woman because it is such a temptation for the young man. 

    In Proverbs 5:3, it states, “For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;” Verse 4 continues, “But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood.” Verse 8 advises, “Remove your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house.” This highlights the need to stay as far away from such a temptation as possible. Do not destroy your life for a few moments of pleasure with a wicked woman! 

    Verse 5 warns, “Her feet go down to death; her steps lay hold of hell.” The same chapter goes on to teach the young man that it is enriching to have your own wife, and to work together to build your future based on this wisdom from God. Verse 15 says, “Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well.” Verse 18 adds, “Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of your youth.” 

    Verse 24 poses the question, “Why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman and embrace the arms of a seductress?” Remember, God sees everything you do; your time with the wicked woman will not go unnoticed. Verse 21 states, “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths.” 

    American culture has celebrated promiscuity for far too long, lasciviousness is everywhere, and pornography is more accessible now than ever before. Young men have access to temptations at their fingertips (through cell phones) and many seek then to act on perverted impulses; implulses that society has trained them to accept as “normal.” It is no wonder that the moral degradation of our society is spilling over into more heinous and evil behaviors. 

    That said, there is also an opportunity for the light of God to shine brighter in these dark days (Matt. 5:14-16). May whoever be reading this reflect on what God says about finding actual value in a godly spouse—someone with whom you can build a life together, and enjoy the blessings that God has to offer. 

    I pray that God Almighty will continue to bless my marriage richly, and that anyone reading this will also lay hold of the blessings God provides in a pure relationship between a man and a woman, as He has designed it. May your generation utterly reject the sinful advances that are continually propagated into our homes and lives!! May you reach up to God through Jesus Christ, and may we all grow in the use of sound wisdom!!! 

  • Rebekah: A Bride Provided for Isaac

    The story of Rebekah and Isaac is a fascinating one. After Sarah’s death, Abraham wanted to ensure that his son would marry someone who worshipped the one true God, Jehovah. To accomplish this, Abraham sent his servant to Nahor in Mesopotamia to find a bride among his relatives. After praying for guidance, the servant found Rebekah and received confirmation that she was the one chosen by God to marry Isaac. Rebekah was willing, and the beginnings of their marriage became a wonderful story of faith, adventure, and romance in Genesis chapter twenty-four.

    1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

    2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, 

    3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 

    4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

    5 And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” 

    6 But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. 

    7 The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

    ~ Genesis 24:1-7

    Our Father in heaven, there is no one like You. Thank You for all Your provisions, especially Jesus, who sacrificed His life for my sins. Holy God, I am certain that meeting my wife was a providential blessing from You. She is a faithful Christian and has brought many blessings to me, spiritually and physically. I thank You, God, for bringing Keri into my life, and pray that You will continue to bless our marriage and help it grow stronger. Furthermore, I pray for Your guidance and care for my three daughters. They are godly young women, and I understand that choosing the right partner will be one of the most important decisions of their lives. I pray that You will guide them and help them to make wise choices in choosing a husband. May they be directed by You in all things, and may they especially choose to marry the one You have approved for them. All of this I pray, for the betterment of our lives, spiritually. Amen.