PASTOR’S PEN

Marriage better with God



William Campbell is pastor at First Baptist Church of Port Aransas.

William Campbell is pastor at First Baptist Church of Port Aransas.

In Port Aransas we have several different seasons. We have summer tourist season, Winter Texan season, fishing tournament season, surfing season and, of course, the season we are in, baseball season. Now that spring is here, there is another season that is beginning – the “marrying season.” It is that time of year when young (and not so young) couples express their love for each other by the exchange of rings and voicing their commitment to God, family and friends.

God intends for marriage to be life’s laboratory where we can learn to love unconditionally and experience sexual and emotional fulfillment. I personally enjoy seeing couples who have been married for 50-plus years continue to hold hands, kiss, etc. in public. What an awesome example to those of us who still have a long way to go. For many, though, marriage went from a dream to a nightmare. God never wants our marriages to be in nightmare situations. The key for us to understand is that no matter what state our marriages are in, God wants to help them be better than they are, and God can help us get our marriages back to being as fulfilling as they were intended to be.

2 Samuel 11 tells us about a marriage that started off in the worst way possible. King David has an affair with Bathsheba; she gets pregnant, David tries to get her husband to believe that the baby is his (Uriah’s); Uriah does not go with David’s plan so David has him killed in battle. Bathsheba mourns for her husband, David and Bathsheba get married, and they lose the baby that was born from the affair. Wow!

As horrible as their beginning was, it did not stay that way. David and Bathsheba must have come to a realization that many things had to change. They allowed God to work in their marriage, and guess what? God did. God ended up blessing their marriage by providing the heir to the throne through Bathsheba (King Solomon).

Not only was he the one to assume the kingship, but Jesus was born from this same family lineage.

I say all of that so that we all can see that our marriages don’t have to start out perfectly (or never have problems) in order for God to bless them.

At First Baptist, we have been going through a series called “Flesh: Undressing the Marriage Essentials.” We have looked at issues involving husband and wife connecting with each other, communicating with each other and marital intimacy. On Sunday, April 20, we will be looking at God’s design for our marriages, then ending the service with an opportunity for married couples to renew their wedding vows. After the service we will celebrate God’s power in our marriages with some wedding cake. If this interests you, we would love for you to be a part of this special time with us. You do not have to be a church member to participate in renewing your wedding vows.

Whatever the condition of your marriage, God wants to help you improve it. Even if it is a good marriage, it can be a great marriage with God’s help!

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