A covenant is strong enough to get a couple through anything if you let the covenant do what it was designed to do. Watch the full video on youtube.com/@TheFredricks 😊 #marriage #shorts #christian #christianity

What a stark contrast: invention of man vs. divine institution. What could that mean for your marriage? When we understand and also embrace the reality that marriage isn't just a good idea, everything changes. There are many, but here are three ways the divine design of marriage makes it so much better than any man made idea. 1: Our promise is rooted in God A vessel at sea will be tossed by every wind and wave—unless it drops anchor. It's the same with promises made without a firm basis. God designed the marriage covenant as a reflection of His covenantal relationship with His people so that we'd never be without His anchor. His very character defines the promise. Not only that, but it's the same love we *experience* in Christ. Once we understand it, how can we not want to give it? 2: Our love is rooted in Christ Few ideas are as convoluted in modern culture as love. It has become synonymous with "anything that makes me feel good". Why would we settle for the world's notion of love when Christ offers so much more? In Christ, love is proven on the cross. At its very core, love is the opposite of self-satisfaction, true love is self-sacrifice. Love is not about self-realization, it's about dying to self. That's what Christ did, and that's how we're called to love each other. 3: Our actions are transformed by the Holy Spirit This is the amazing part: given these foundational concepts of covenant and love, we are helpless to live them out on our own strength. By God's grace, we have the Helper. The Holy Spirit was given to us as a guarantee of Christ's saving work on the cross. He ministers to us, encourages us, and equips us to live with true Jesus-like love. We who were once driven by our flesh can now love like Christ! We must never forget the wonder and mystery of God's design for marriage. It's a grace-fueled, love-saturated, Spirit-filled miracle to wake up to the same person every day. It's a true gift. Hug your spouse today, and remind him/her how blessed you are to spend a lifetime at their side.

The central point of See-Through Marriage is too important to bury, so I will just say it: true, unfettered transparency rescues relationships, glorifies God, and multiplies joy. You were designed to live in radical, vulnerable fellowship with God, your spouse, and others. There is too much good on the other side of transparency to live without it. Learn more about our book and where to purchase by visiting seethroughbook.com. Stay fierce, friends!

Of the couples we've worked with, the thing I've found most jarring is their lack of honesty. Whether it's intentional or not, I've seen husbands and wives hide in their shame, only to face their sin later, and with greater consequence. I've seen spouses fail to learn to communicate clearly about what they're thinking, feeling, and believing, only to realize much later that their lack of introspection has starved their marriage of the nourishment only truth can provide. It's impossible to love fully (or be loved fully) when you are not known completely by each other. So, if you want to experience the kind of love possible in covenantal, biblical marriage, learn the practice of *true* honesty. Be honest with God, be honest with yourself (about your need for God and need to turn from sin), and be honest with each other. Then, in the light, walk in the love afforded you through the gospel as you are transformed into Christ's likeness in the ways you love as well as the ways you live. "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7)

Every day in marriage presents at least one opportunity to overcome incompatibility. That's because each day, you wake up as separate individuals with independent desires, wills, and ideas. You must learn to work together for the common good of your relationship. It doesn't come automatically. What's more important is that you explicitly AGREE to work together for the common good of your relationship ahead of time. This means having a conversation about why your marriage is important, why love is sacrificial at its core, and how you can express that kind of love to each other. That's where Jesus enters the picture. Understanding and applying sacrificial love is impossible without Christ. Without Jesus, who is to say what love is? Without God's love made flesh, how can we say whose version of love is right, pure, and without contamination? Paul writes, "God SHOWS his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, emphasis added). Think about that. God showed his love to us when Christ died for us, sinners. It wasn't just for our past sins and with a guarantee of a blameless future, it was WHILE we were still sinners. While we were rejecting God, he showed his love. That is our standard of love; anything else falls short. Back to compatibility. It's essentially another word for getting along or learning to live in peace. Homes without Christ's brand of selfless love eventually descend into chaos. Selfishness reigns as personal agendas cause discord. Couples exchange favors and acts of love almost like currency. That's not covenant compatibility, that's a mutually beneficial contract. "I'll give you what you want as long as I get what I want." That's not love. Instead, learn to be compatible, selfless, and loving individuals as you grow closer to Christ. Let his generous love transform your heart and flood your home. As it does, you will experience the deep joy that only comes from loving sacrificially and being loved the same way—first by Christ, then (ideally, hopefully) by your spouse.

Marriage is such a beautiful and vivid picture of mutual pursuit. A husband and wife are uniquely positioned to chase after one another and find God-blessed pleasure in each other. The whole text of Song of Solomon embodies the mutual adoration and helpless love shared by a man and a woman in marriage. This is a good design and an unparalleled blessing from God! Incredibly, the mutual pursuit and deep affections described throughout Song of Solomon are parallels to the relationship between Christ and his church. He is deeply in love with you and has stopped at nothing—not even death—to pursue you! Oh, what a remarkable and life-changing idea to grasp! May you and your spouse get lost in love. Pursue each others' hearts, and enjoy being pursued by the one you love. And more than all of this, may you experience the richness of a deeply intimate relationship with the ultimate lover of your soul: Jesus.

Last post we talked to the ladies, but this time it's all eyes on men. Husbands, read all about the five phrases your wife needs to hear often. Check out the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify! We hope it blesses you and your marriage.

Men, are you treasuring your wife? She's not just another person in your life. She's a profound blessing from God himself! Men: take a moment and think of 3 things you love about your wife and text/tell her what they are. Gratefulness disarms discontentment and appreciation leads to healthy adoration. Take time to be "happy in your wife". Doing so recognizes her as the true gift she is.

A current trend in our culture is to rid men of their toxic masculinity once and for all. So in this episode, we aim to do just that! All jokes aside, there is a biblical design for masculinity and there is so much a wife can do to affirm that good gift in her husband. If you want to hear more, listen in on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. All glory to our God and King!

'Tis the season to be generous with your spouse ✨ Okay, okay every season is good to be generous with your spouse, but what are some specific ways you can use your time, talents, or treasure to bless your loved one this holiday season?

Love is an action and a choice more than anything else. As C.S. Lewis writes, love is a habit to be strengthened "deliberately" and "maintained by the will". What a profound, freeing view of love! To know that love isn't something one falls into and out of. To know that love isn't something that comes and goes mysteriously. And to know that love is not a fickle thing, prone to leaving as soon as emotions dry up. Friends, there's a reason God defined marriage as a covenant bound by love. His version of love—the biblical version—is by nature covenantal. Love is both how and why God himself has a covenantal character. That's the sort of love we're called to live out in biblical marriage.