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I know the thoughts given forth by this pastor I'm familiar with will not be agreed upon by everyone...but they are the closest to what I believe God's true view of marriage is, and as I listened while exercising today, I was like "YES!" But not without some fear for what is to come...you see, this is the start of a series on marriage, singleness, sex, and divorce, all topics that stir up emotions in so many of us, often because we've had the wrong idea of the purposes of each as we walk our own lives. But, if you are moved like me, I guess the challenge is to go back to this site weekly and listen to the following messages with a prayerful heart, being willing to let God break us if need be...and being willing is the hard part, as I'm sure there will be some, "Now wait just a minute, mister!"-moments as the pastor shares what scripture says on these issues...but I believe we will only have those emotions if they are hitting too close to home...and thus, it is EXACTLY why we need to hear them, especially if you claim to be a follower of One whom is above all things...so enter into this with an open, willing spirit to let God speak...even if it's hard...
Things I heard that made my heart both break (in a good, repentful way) and at the same time go "YES! PREACH IT!":
*** That God has an infinitely high view of marriage...and the word infinite is used deliberately. Like, we can't even fathom God's high view of the marriage covenant.
*** That God's high view of the marriage covenant should scare some folks out of marriage...or at least make them take a long pause and check their own hearts, views, motivations, etc., before entering into such a covenant.
*** That Jesus himself says that singleness is almost a preferred thing, because we have gotten off track so much when it comes to the true purpose of marriage...so singleness is NOT a bad thing, or something where you are only "half a person". In some ways, you may have things easier haha, and Jesus himself agrees!
*** That God created marriage...NOT us...we have made it about us, using our rules, etc...no bueno!
*** That marriage is much more than something that is "just a step above serious dating", or that it's totally fine to bolt a marriage just because things are "weird"...etc. We've made marriage about meeting personal needs, and that is not the way God views it. It is for His glory, to show the world a glimpse of who God is by a man and woman entering into a covenant that we are told to never let man break... So, in my view, the pursuit of another to "complete" you is wrong...no person can complete you, only Christ can. But so many seem to be on this quest of "completion" using relationships as a means...sorry, they will always fail you!
*** That marriage is a temporary thing. We don't like that. But scripture (from the mouth of Jesus!) is clear: once a member of a marriage is no longer on Earth...the marriage is over. That hurts. We like the idea of "meeting up again" with our life-long loves in heaven...but it isn't like that, and if our motivation to be a part of Eternity is to mainly hook up with old spouses, or even family, etc., well, then I think one's priorities and view of God may need to be re-evaluated...sorry...I know that sounds mean... But, to relate it to a conversation my wife and I just had last night, in regards to (morbid, I know) things like burial or cremation, caskets, etc., at our own deaths, I told her, "Honey, I love you, and I'm sorry, but there is no need to spend lots of money on some lavish casket, or even burial, for me, as frankly, what I believe with certainty is that I'm not gonna give a crap at that point"...because I will be singing with the angels! But our selfish hearts struggle with that. We want some semblance of control, of "familiarity", and the stuff of Heaven is so "other"...that sadly the "other" is what often keeps our true allegiance and motivations toward the Lord at a stunted pace... And we treat marriage as an eternal thing just like this...when it isn't.
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