Our challenge during our weekend message was to center our lives around God and to be committed to our spouses. We discussed in our Bible study yesterday the importance of centering our lives around Him. Today, we are going to discuss the second part of the challenge we were given: being committed to our spouses. After all, if you want to have a strong marriage, you must be on the same side as your spouse, committing yourselves to being a unified team and moving in the same direction together.
Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, writes about the impact of living alongside others, which includes our spouses, as seen in Ecclesiastes 4. He said in this passage of Scripture, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed" (verse 10). Now, this passage of Scripture particularly describes two people who are on the same team, seeking each other's success. This is precisely what a husband and wife should aim to be: one team cheering for each other's success. Several verses later, Solomon continued writing in this passage of Scripture, "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer" (verse 12). When you and your spouse act as a team, you can stand undefeated, ready to conquer the spiritual battles that you face every day. Having a strong, committed relationship with your spouse is only part of the call you are given as a follower of Christ. You see, together with your spouse, you have to be committed to Christ. Look at what Solomon wrote as he continued writing in Ecclesiastes 4. He wrote, “Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (verse 12). When Christ is at the center of our marriages and both spouses are committed to Christ, we are strong and uneasily defeated.
We were not meant to live life alone. We need each other. We need other followers of Christ to live life alongside each other, with Christ at the center of our deepest relationships. For those who are married, our spouses are at the top of the list of people we get to live life alongside and support, with Christ at the very center, guiding and directing us every step of the way. Praise God that we were not meant to live life alone and for the people whom He has placed in our lives to live life alongside. May we commit to supporting each other and moving in the direction of Christ every second of every day.
Take a few moments now to pray for the people God has placed in your life to walk alongside. For those who are married, pray for your spouse. Pray for any needs they have. Pray for God’s continued guidance and direction in their life. Pray that they would remain strong as they follow Christ. End your prayer by thanking God for them and the gift that they are to you in your life.
1 Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. 2 So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. 3 But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.
4 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
5 “Fools fold their idle hands,
leading them to ruin.”
6 And yet,
“Better to have one handful with quietness
than two handfuls with hard work
and chasing the wind.”
7 I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. 15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him. 16 Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
