Easter proclaims Jesus sacrificial death and resurrection to restore our shattered relationship with the Father. As I reflected on this great story of reconciliation and salvation, I couldn’t help but see 3 powerful applications for our marriages!
First, God wants relationship and reconciliation: Jesus went to the cross to restore a broken relationship between God and fallen man. He knew that our separation from God kept us from being all we were created to be. The same is true for us as couples. We can’t be what God wants us to be when we are separated from one another!
Is there a wall of separation between the two of you in your marriage? An unresolved issue, an open conflict that is keeping you both from experiencing the intimacy God wants you to have? If so, it’s time to forgive and seek restoration, to make a commitment to resolve that conflict. To take the second step …
Second, God took the initiative: “For God so loved … that He gave.” We know the verse well; and the lesson is simple: God started the process. So we need to ask: “Do I love my spouse so much that I will begin the process of reconciliation?
Couples get “stuck” because neither of them is ready, nor willing, to take the first step. It was God’s love for us that propelled Him to send His Son.
Third, God gave sacrificially and generously: God’s redemptive plan mandated Jesus’ death on the cross. The innocent One had to suffer and die.
Even when we feel that we’re not to blame for the broken intimacy in our marriages, God’s Word tells us to love our spouses in the same sacrificial way Jesus gave Himself up for us. (Ephesians 5: 25)
Are you willing to “suffer” the discomfort of delving into the nitty-gritty of making things right; to invest the time and energy needed to work through the issue? Are you willing to “die to yourself” to see restoration happen?
Because of Easter we can celebrate the forgiveness of sin, a restored relationship and the promise of an abundant and eternal life. When we apply God’s 3 steps of reconciliation to our marriages … we can experience the forgiveness that restores our relationship that will bring us the true intimacy that God intended.
