Marriage is not to be entered into lightly - but reverently - thoughtfully - prayerfully - according to the purposes for which it was created by God. God has designed marriage as a life long partnership. His desire is to create in you a union of heart, mind, and body for your mutual joy - for comfort - for strength in the midst of whatever circumstances of life lay ahead of you - a relationship of prayer and nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord - a partnership which glorifies Him.

As I’ve been thinking about what I could share with you in this moment that might encourage and help you as you begin your marriage together - one event in the ministry of Jesus has stuck in my mind.

The Jewish religious leaders had come up with hundreds of laws and regulations - covering every conceivable experience and event in life - rules and regulations that they said one needed to live by in order to do the one thing that was most important in life - to obey God. And in obeying God - to experience God’s blessings. For generations the religious leaders had debated which - out of all of these laws - which one was the most important to keep - do this one and you’ll keep all of the others. For generations they had debated and not come up with an answer.

In Matthew 22 there’s a record of the day that these religious leaders asked Jesus the impossible question: What is the most important law? And Jesus gives them the answer.

Jesus summarizes all the laws and told them, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” - love God with everything you are.

Thinking about marriage - that’s the place to start: love God with everything you are. In the years ahead - as husband and wife - do whatever it takes to learn to put Him first in everything. Devote yourselves together to understanding Him - to deepening your relationship with Him - to challenge each other to put Him first. Pray together. Study His word together. Worship together. Serve Him together. Learn to follow Him together into His purpose for your marriage.

Jesus goes on. After answering the impossible question - Jesus goes on - the second most important law to keep is to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Once someone asked Jesus, “Who’s my neighbor?” Basically, the answer He gave is that everyone is our neighbor.

Thinking about marriage - _____, looking to your left, and _____, looking to your right - that’s the person to start with. Learn to love each other with the same devotion and care and attention and fervency that you love yourself.

Where we all struggle is that its impossible to love God with everything we are - impossible to express love unselfishly to others. As hard as we might try we simply fall short.

So, the bottom line - in what I’d like to share with you tonight is that God has to do this work of love and marriage in you.

The more God is the center of your lives and marriage - the more you will know His blessing - the stronger He will bind you together - the more effective you will become in partnering through all the experiences of life ahead. The deeper your relationship and commitment to Him - He will create in you this love for Him and each other.