The Institution of Marriage
Scripture Reading — Mark 10:1-11
God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
July 7 on the Chinese lunar calendar is called the Qixi (“seventh evening”) Festival. Also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, this festival goes back for thousands of years. The main focus is on the love story between an earthly cow herder and a fairy weaver girl. So on this day, single girls would go to temples to ask for the blessings of a good husband and a lasting marriage.
If we are serious about having a good marriage, we should consult the Lord, who created marriage. In today’s passage, Jesus quotes from the book of Genesis, showing that God instituted marriage. God made the man (male) and the woman (female), and God joined them together in marriage. If we deviate from this foundation of marriage as God instituted it, then we go our own way toward destruction, no matter what promises, arrangements, skills, or determination we might try to use to find fulfillment in life.
If, on the other hand, a couple marries on the basis of this foundation and seeks the Lord’s will faithfully, their marriage will have added protection. Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Indeed, a husband and wife who together seek the Lord form a winning combination.
Thank you, Jesus, for reminding us that God instituted marriage when he created man and woman. Help us to remain faithful to this sacred communion. Amen.
About the author — Jimmy Tai-On Lin
Rev. Jimmy Lin is the Chinese ministry leader of The Back to God Hour. With his staff in Palos Heights and Hong Kong, Rev. Lin has ministered to over 1.3 billion Chinese-speaking people around the world for 16 years through radio, literature, CD/DVD, Internet, and text message. His wife, Doris, is one of the translators of Today into the Chinese language, which now has a circulation of more than 45,000 copies.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!