Saturday, May 29, 2021 Marriage God’s Way LISTEN   “As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’” —Ephesians 5:31 A survey of millennials found that 43 percent would support a “beta marriage” model in which a couple tests the relationship for two years before they decide whether to commit to it or dissolve it. In addition, 36 percent of millennials backed the “real estate marriage” model where couples commit to a set period of time ranging from five to 30 years.  At the end of that period, they have to renegotiate if they want to remain married. But here’s why neither of those marriage models will work.  Studies show that couples who live together have a far higher divorce rate than those who don’t.  So if you want to set your marriage up for failure, then live together. In fact, I wish we could strike the word divorce from our vocabularies.  If you’re planning to go into marriage thinking that you will get out of it here or there, then don’t get married.  When a couple gets married, they need to commit to each other for a lifetime. We need to constantly grow in our marriages, and God has given us a user’s manual for how to have a successful and blessed marriage.  It’s called the Bible. When couples come to me and blame each other for the problems in their marriage, I can see what the issue is.  They’re not taking any responsibility.  Both people have to work at having a good marriage, because it doesn’t happen by accident. I think sometimes we think that marriage should be like a fairy tale: “and they lived happily ever after.”  It doesn’t always work out that way, but I do believe that a couple can live happily even after, if they do it God’s way. So instead of the beta marriage model or the real estate marriage model, choose God’s model for marriage: a lifelong commitment. Share this today:     The Women of the Bible Speak Receive a copy for your gift of support today » Our May book offer, The Women of the Bible Speak, by Shannon Bream compares and contrasts eight pairs of women whose stories are recorded in Scripture, teaching us valuable lessons that we can apply in our own lives. Receive a copy with your donation. Copyright © 2021 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Harvest Ministries exists with your support to Know God and Make Him Known. If you would like, you can update your preferences. This email may be considered an advertising or promotional email. Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000 Phone: 1-800-821-3300