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Marriage is an institution invented by God to show how He feels about us. Many words in the Bible are specifically used to explain God's feeling towards His people. He calls us His children and we can experience the way He feels about us from watching our own children. They are often bad and disrespectful, but He loves us enough to discipline us and bring us back to Him.

It's the same with calling us His Bride. He feels about us like we should feel about our spouse. As we are born again, we should feel absolutely dedicated to our Lord as we can only experience with our own family. He talked of Israel as an "adulterous" nation because they experimented with other gods. He chose that word to try to emote the hurt He felt after all He has done for us. When Jesus told His followers that He must go and prepare a place for us, He was describing a Jewish wedding. The whole Song of Solomon is basically about Jesus calling to His lover to come out and walk with Him, but she is sleping and doesn't want to help Him. She later opens the door to find Him gone. Just as the foolish virgins went to where they buy and sell to get their oil, they came back too late to join the wedding party.

I'm afraid that if you don't love Jesus with all you have, you may never know how much He loved you. He gave up His throne to come and rescue us, yet we reject Him. He suffered unimaginable pain to buy us for Himself. Would you do that for your wife?

To know when you are first married in Gods eyes will be that day that you are willing to die for her, not just spend some money, or travel with her. If your devotion reaches that level, then you might know what marriage was designed for. Is she still beautiful when she is 60? Do you still desire only her company? That is where God is on marriage.

This is why marriage is so important to the church. It is an institution set up by God to show His love for us. It is an abomination to redefine it to a lie.

A prophet was told by God to marry the town whore. He didn't want to because he was a pious man, but God insisted, so he did. Sure enough, the first chance she got, she ran off with another man and the town looked at him like "What did you expect?" Then God ordered the prophet to go find her and bring her home again. That is how God is with us. He is faithful. Are we? Will we forgive and love others as God loves us? Not likely with the divorce records today.

One more thing,....When the Bible speaks of the woman submitting to the man,...be sure and read the part before that. The man MUST love her as Christ loved the church. Many women might do more submitting with a Godly husband.