Living out a Covenant marriage as oppose to living out a
Contract marriage.
Relationships aren’t working because we do not define them at
a God level. A God level relationship
operates through a covenant. Blood is involved. To have a God kind of success we must redefine
our relationships at a God level!
When we have a contract relationship we are saying: We must
protect our rights, but limit our responsibilities. I want all of this but right now I want you
to know I’m not putting up with a lot.
It’s not love if it’s conditional. If you don’t fulfill your part I’m
out of here.
When we have a covenant relationship we are saying: We give
up our rights and pick up our responsibilities.
I’m going to enter into this at a point of sacrifice. I will surrender my rights. It only takes one to agree, not basing it on
what you do, but on what I’ve decided, till deaths do us part.
We have our bad days and good days. We aren’t perfect, but when we strive to
remember God first in all of our life it means he adds to us. He produces
riches in our lives, relationships, parenting, worship, and anything beyond
what we can think or ask for. A
“contract” marriage will never work!
How to live a Covenant Marriage
We must give up 3 rights:
1.
Priority: Our new priority is our spouse. We say,
“I will protect that by anything you can perceive.” The best of us must no
longer go to our “jobs” or our hobbies. The best of us belong to our spouse. We must have a marriage centered home rather
than a child centered home. We MUST be an example to our children!
2.
Ownership: We say, “I give you the right to
co-own every part of my life: time, money, possessions, and body. Everything I
have is yours.” We don’t demand this of
each other; rather we give it to each other.
There is no longer mine or yours but rather ours. There is no room for selfishness!
3.
Privacy:
We give our spouse free and unhindered access to everything we are and
everything we have. We do no hide parts
of us from our spouses. We are open books. We are able to come to each other
with open hearts and open minds because our transparency has built trust and we
are confident and secure in our relationship.
We must love unconditionally, live with honor, and live with
respect.
Loving unconditionally means when you are at your worst I
will love you the most. You will never
get to the “what if” if you take your marriage to the God level and become part
of the solution not the problem. When
you are faithless he is faithful!
Honor is when you put value in something that does not have
value. You make it valuable. God created men to need value. God calls us
to be Holy and Holy means to be set apart and special. Holy living men and
women put their hope in God. Honor him
even when he/she was not honorable.
Submit mutually must be out of reverence for Christ. We make Jesus the priority. Respond to his unconditional love by loving
him back. We then submit everything we have.
If you have done anything less than that you have religion, not the real
thing, you have a contract not a covenant.
You cannot work on any relationship on earth before you work on your
relationship with God.
