Marriage is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a means to an end. God used physical marriage as a means of explaining His relationship with Humanity. The marriage of a man and a woman is only a shadow of a reality far deeper than many people can comprehend. Apostle Paul spoke of marriage as “a profound mystery” depicting the relationship between Christ and the Church (see Eph. 5:32).This does not in any way mean that couples cannot enjoy the union, have children, and live happily ever after. It only means that marital bliss must be built upon a Kingdom purpose. If couples seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, peace, joy, and every other thing a couple should enjoy, it will be added to them (see Matt. 6:33). This is not today’s understanding of marriage. It would seem that we now see physical marriage as an end rather than a means to an end.
We seem to overemphasize the shadow more than the reality. The original marriage of Christ and the Church is not as important to people today as the marriage between a man and woman. Marital relationships have thus become idols, which the Lord can no longer tolerate. An idol is anything we honor more than we honor God. We, especially Christians, seem to honor our physical marriages more than the spiritual. Any marriage between a man and a woman, which does not point to the more important marriage between Christ and His Church with all its prophetic agenda,will remain a mere shadow that depicts all the basic characteristics of life,but is actually dead.And there are so many dead marriages in the Church today. Such marriages may not have any obvious relational problems between husband and wife. In fact, the husband may love the wife and she,on the other hand, may be completely submitted to him, God may even have made divine investments in this marriage by giving the couple’s children and generally making their family financially independent. But where He is not given ample opportunity to reap eternal dividends from His investments, such a marriage will remain an offense to God.
Is your marriage still operating at the level of a shadow? Are you allowing God to reap dividends from the investments He made in your lives? The fact that you love your spouse, go to church, and pay your tithes is not enough. God wants to transform your marriage into a prophetic weapon for His end-time work. It is time to view your marriage through an apostolic and prophetic lens.
