Why Marry, I

Genesis 2:¹⁸ “Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him.” (AMP)

Why marry? Why GET married? Why STAY married? Why RE-marry? First, Marriage is God’s Idea. Second, Marriage Is A Spiritual Model. Third, Marriage Is The Love Lab. Fourth, Marriage Is The Foundation Of Civilization. Yesterday, we began to look at Why Marriage Matters: Twenty-One Conclusions from the Social Sciences. The first thing we looked at from my summary is, The lack of two married parents in a home increases the child’s risk of failing in school, not graduating from college, being involved in substance or alcohol abuse, and being a victim of child abuse. Is that enough for you to stay married?

The wise older people would say, I am staying married because of my children. It did not make sense to the younger generation. What? Enjoy your life. However, now we know it is the foolishness of ignorance that makes people say that. You need to realize that marriage is the fabric that is holding things together. The second thing we will look at from that same report is that Children without two married parents experience more psychological distress, depression, the risk of suicide, and are more likely to do jail term. Now, I understand that some of us are single parents. And that is why plugging into community is so important. You can benefit from community. d If you are a single parent, and you have the opportunity to remarry, please get remarried. Your children will benefit from that stability.

The report goes on to say that Women who marry and stay married have lower rates of depression than either single women or cohabitating women (mothers who live with a man but are not married to them). The next thing from the same report is Women who marry and stay married have a much lower risk of being a victim of crime and violence. They have a higher financial net worth. It pays to get and stay married. Men, listen to this, Men who marry and stay married earn more money than single men with similar jobs and education or job history.

Married men when compared to single men of the same calibre of education, experience, and job history, were earning far more because of the stability that marriage brings. That is why they say to single men, “When are you going to settle down?”, because you are not settled. Listen to this, men who are married live longer than those who aren’t married. My brother, go and get married if you want to live longer.

Prayer: Father, I pray that every benefit You have planned for marriages will be in full expression in my marriage, in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen!