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22 Foundations to a Fantastic Christian Marriage
With supporting Scripture from the ESV Bible

by James Garritson
08/14/2006

I pray that this foundation chart will richly bless your marriage. These foundations are based entirely on the Old Testament and New Testament of the ESV Bible. Since Christ is Love, then a great marriage will shine with Love.

1. The foundation of Marriage:
cross bullet [Ge 2:20 ESV]   The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. [21]   So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. [22]   And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. [23]   Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”   [24]   Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
cross bullet [Mk 10:6 ESV]   But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' [7]   'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, [8] and they shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh.

2. Love one another.   Avoid hurtful comments and treat one another like you would like to be treated.   Tell your partner "I love you" daily through your words and actions.
cross bullet [1Co 13:4 ESV]   Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant [5]   or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [6]   it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. [7]   Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.   [8]   Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
cross bullet [Jn 13:34 ESV]   A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. [35]   By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
cross bullet [Jn 15:12 ESV]   “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
cross bullet [Ep 5:25 ESV]   Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
cross bullet [Ep 5:28 ESV]   In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
cross bullet [Col 3:19 ESV]   Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
cross bullet [Tit 2:4 ESV]   and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
cross bullet [Ro 13:10 ESV]   Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
cross bullet [1Pe 1:22 ESV]    Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
cross bullet [1Jn 3:11 ESV]   For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
cross bullet [1Jn 3:18 ESV]   Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
cross bullet [1Jn 3:23 ESV]   And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
cross bullet [1Jn 4:11 ESV]   Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12]   No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
cross bullet [Col 3:14 ESV]   And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

3. Trust one another.   Always speak the truth in love.   Honesty will build a solid marriage.
cross bullet [Mt 5:37 ESV]   Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
cross bullet [Pr 12:17 ESV]   Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.
cross bullet [Pr 24:26 ESV]   Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.
cross bullet [Zec 8:16 ESV]   These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace;
cross bullet [Ep 4:15 ESV]   Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
cross bullet [Ep 4:25 ESV]   Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

4. Forgive one another, just as Christ has forgiven you.   Don't bring up past problems or arguments in the relationship.   The past was yesterday, so focus on today.   Apologize or say "sorry" to your spouse if you have hurt his or her feelings.
cross bullet [Mt 6:14 ESV]   For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, [15]   but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
cross bullet [Mt 18:21 ESV]   Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” [22]   Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
cross bullet [Mt 18:35 ESV]   So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
cross bullet [Lk 17:3 ESV]  Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, [4]   and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him.”
cross bullet [2Co 2:7 ESV]   so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. [8]   So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.
cross bullet [Ep 4:32 ESV]   Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
cross bullet [Col 3:13 ESV]  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
cross bullet [1Th 5:15 ESV]   See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

5. Encourage one another.   Comfort, help, and build each other up.   Do not discourage your spouse.  
cross bullet [Ep 4:29 ESV]   Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
cross bullet [Ro 15:4 ESV]   For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. [5]   May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
cross bullet [Heb 3:13 ESV]  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
cross bullet [1Th 5:11 ESV]   Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
cross bullet [Jude 20 ESV]   But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit;

6. The husband and wife must make Christ the foundation of their marriage by studying the Word of God (The Bible) and living lives that glorify Jesus Christ.
cross bullet [Pr 3:5 ESV]   Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
cross bullet [Dt 6:6 ESV]   And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7]   You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8]   You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9]   You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
cross bullet [Heb 4:12 ESV]  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
cross bullet [2Ti 3:16 ESV]   All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17]   that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

7. Pray with your spouse, with your children, and by yourself throughout your daily lives.   Always pray and give thanksgiving before every meal you eat, before you sleep at night, and when you rise in the morning.
cross bullet [1Ti 4:4 ESV]   For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, [5]   for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
cross bullet [Ro 8:26 ESV]   Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
cross bullet [1Th 5:16 ESV]   Rejoice always, [17]   pray without ceasing, [18]   give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
cross bullet [1Ti 2:1 ESV]   First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2]   for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
cross bullet [Phl 4:6 ESV]  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7]   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
cross bullet [Jas 5:16 ESV]  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

8. Christ is the head of the household.   The husband needs to lead his family by following Christ.   The wife needs to honor her husband.  
cross bullet [1Co 11:3 ESV]   But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
cross bullet [Ep 5:22 ESV]   Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. [23]   For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24]   Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
cross bullet [Ep 5:33 ESV]   However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
cross bullet [Col 3:18 ESV]   Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
cross bullet [Tit 2:5 ESV]   to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
cross bullet [1Pe 3:1 ESV]   Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives— [2]   when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
cross bullet [1Pe 3:5 ESV]   For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, [6]   as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

9. Always act "selfless," not "selfish." Consider your spouse's needs and desires before your own.   Learn to appreciate one another's talents, interests, and differences. Make an effort to t ake interest in your spouse's favorite hobbies, sports, music, movies, and books.  
cross bullet [Ro 12:9 ESV]   Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. [10]   Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
cross bullet [Ro 15:1 ESV]   We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. [2]   Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. [3]   For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
cross bullet [1Co 10:24 ESV]   Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
cross bullet [1Pe 2:17 ESV]   Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
cross bullet [1Pe 4:9 ESV]   Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. [10]   As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:
cross bullet [1Co 7:33 ESV]   But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, [34]   and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.
cross bullet [Phl 2:3 ESV]   Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4]   Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

10. A married couple needs to spend quality time with one another.   You both became best friends and fell in love for many reasons.   Rekindle your romantic love frequently by having a weekly "date." Activities may include dining in a restaurant, watching a movie, going shopping, picnicking in a park, etc.   Remember, the activity doesn't have to cost a lot of money, but should provide enjoyment to the husband and wife.
cross bullet [Dt 24:5 ESV]   “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken.
cross bullet [Pr 18:22 ESV]   He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
cross bullet [Song 4:9 ESV]   You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.   [10]   How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!   How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!   [11]   Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
cross bullet [Ec 9:9 ESV]   Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.

11. A husband and wife should make an effort to stay healthy and attractive for one another throughout their lives.   Good hygiene, exercise, and a good diet glorifies the temple.
cross bullet [1Co 6:19 ESV]   Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
cross bullet [1Co 3:16 ESV]   Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? [17]   If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
cross bullet [Song 1:15 ESV]   Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves.
cross bullet [Song 2:10 ESV]   My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,
cross bullet [Song 4:1 ESV]   Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful!   Your eyes are doves behind your veil.   Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
cross bullet [Song 4:3 ESV]   Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely.   Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.
cross bullet [Song 4:7 ESV]   You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

12. In marriage, the husband and wife become ONE.   Everything you once owned is now jointly owned.   Don't use words like “mine” and “my.”   Instead, use the words “ours” and “our.”   Even the husband's body is no longer his own, but belongs to his wife.   In the same way, the wife's body belongs to her husband.
cross bullet [Song 2:16a ESV]   My beloved is mine, and I am his;
cross bullet [Song 6:3a ESV]   I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
cross bullet [Mk 10:7 ESV]   'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, [8]   and they shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh.
cross bullet [1Co 7:4 ESV]   For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

13. A husband and wife should seldom deprive one another of sexual relations.   Sex between a married couple fortifies the "oneness" of a marriage and was created by God to be enjoyed.     Sleeping together at similar times will help maintain intimacy.
cross bullet [Pr 5:15 ESV]   Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.   [16]   Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?   [17]   Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you.   [18]   Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, [19]    a lovely deer, a graceful doe.   Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.
cross bullet [Song 1:2 ESV]   Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!   For your love is better than wine;
cross bullet [Song 4:16 ESV] Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits.
cross bullet [Song 5:1 ESV]   I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk.
cross bullet [Song 7:10 ESV]   I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.
cross bullet [Song 5:16 ESV]   His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable.   This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
cross bullet [1Co 7:2 ESV]  But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. [3]   The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. [4]   For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. [5]   Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
cross bullet [Heb 13:4 ESV]   Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

14. Listen to one another.   Listen before you speak.   Live with understanding and peace.  
cross bullet [1Pe 3:7 ESV]    Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
cross bullet [Ec 3:7b ESV] a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
cross bullet [Pr 15:31 ESV]   The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.
cross bullet [Pr 19:20 ESV]  Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

15. Avoid quarrels! Do not raise your voice in an argument!   If you should have an argument, calmly discuss the issue in a loving manner.   
cross bullet [Pr 12:18 ESV]  There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
cross bullet [Pr 19:13 ESV]   A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
cross bullet [Pr 20:3 ESV]   It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
cross bullet [Pr 21:9 ESV]   It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
cross bullet [Pr 21:19 ESV]   It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
cross bullet [Pr 25:24 ESV]   It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
cross bullet [Pr 26:21 ESV]   As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
cross bullet [Pr 27:15 ESV]   A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
cross bullet [Ro 13:13 ESV]   Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
cross bullet [2Ti 2:23 ESV]   Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. [24]   And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
cross bullet [Tit 3:2 ESV]   to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
cross bullet [Jas 4:1 ESV]   What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? [2]   You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

16. A couple should never fall asleep angry at one another.   Make a big effort to solve a problem as soon as it happens.  
cross bullet [Ep 4:26 ESV]   Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27]   and give no opportunity to the devil.
cross bullet [Pr 15:18 ESV]   A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
cross bullet [Pr 30:33 ESV]   For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.
cross bullet [Ps 37:8 ESV]   Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!   Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

17. Marital problems need to be kept between the couple--not family and friends.   Gossip can destroy a marriage.  
cross bullet [1Ti 5:13 ESV]   Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.
cross bullet [2Th 3:11 ESV]   For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
cross bullet [Pr 16:28 ESV]   A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
cross bullet [Pr 26:17 ESV]   Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
cross bullet [Pr 26:20 ESV]   For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
cross bullet [1Th 4:11 ESV]   and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, [12]   so that you may live properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
cross bullet [2Co 12:20 ESV]   For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

18. When a couple marries, they also marry into another family.   Learn to love and befriend your partner's family.
cross bullet [Ex 18:7 ESV]  Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.
cross bullet [Ru 1:14 ESV]   Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
cross bullet [Ru 2:11 ESV]   But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.
cross bullet [Jdg 19:3 ESV]   Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a couple of donkeys. And she brought him into her father's house. And when the girl's father saw him, he came with joy to meet him. [4]   And his father-in-law, the girl's father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there.
cross bullet [Mt 8:14 ESV]   And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. [15]   He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.

19. If your wife is a homemaker, allow her to manage the household by providing her with a monthly amount of money for food, clothing, gifts, and other necessities.
cross bullet [1Ti 5:1 4 ESV]   So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander .
cross bullet [Pr 31:13 ESV]   She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.   [14]   She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.   [15]   She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.   [16]   She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.   [17]   She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.   [18]   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.   [19]   She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.   [20]   She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.   [21]   She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.   [22]   She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.   [23]   Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.   [24]   She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.   [25]   Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.   [26]   She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.   [27]   She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

20. Both the husband and wife should work hard in their daily jobs, whether it is as a homemaker, wife, husband, father, mother, breadwinner, etc.   Do your best in any role you may have.   Idleness isn't a godly characteristic and will cause arguments between spouses.    
cross bullet [Pr 10:4 ESV]   A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.   [5]   He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
cross bullet [Pr 12:11 ESV]   Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
cross bullet [Pr 20:13 ESV]   Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
cross bullet [Pr 22:29 ESV]   Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
cross bullet [Ec 9:10 ESV]   Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
cross bullet [Ep 4:28 ESV]   Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
cross bullet [2Th 3:10 ESV]   For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. [11]   For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. [12]   Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

21. Openly discuss finances with one another.   Create a family budget that both partners can agree to follow.   The husband must work to provide for his household.   Stay out of debt!
cross bullet [Ro 13:8 ESV]   Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
cross bullet [Pr 13:11 ESV]   Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
cross bullet [Pr 13:22 ESV]   A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.
cross bullet [Pr 21:17 ESV]   Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
cross bullet [Pr 28:19 ESV]   Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
cross bullet [Pr 14:23 ESV]   In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
cross bullet [Heb 13:5 ESV]   Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
cross bullet [1Ti 5:8 ESV]   But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
cross bullet [1Ti 6:10 ESV]   For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

22. Marriage is a covenant between a man and woman that is made before God.   Never quit or think about quitting a marriage.   Don't use the “D” word (divorce) in your marriage.
cross bullet [Mt 5:31 ESV]   “It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' [32]  But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
cross bullet [Mt 19:3 ESV]   And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” [4]   He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, [5]   and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh'? [6]   So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” [7]   They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” [8]   He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. [9]   And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.
cross bullet [Mk 10:2 ESV]   And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” [3]   He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” [4]   They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” [5]   And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. [6]   But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' [7]   'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, [8] and they shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. [9]   What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
cross bullet [Lk 16:18 ESV]  “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
cross bullet [Ro 7:1 ESV]   Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? [2]   Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. [3]   Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
cross bullet [1Co 7:10 ESV]   To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband [11]   (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
cross bullet [1Co 7:39 ESV]   A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.
cross bullet [Je 3:20 ESV]   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD.' ”
cross bullet [Mal 2:14 ESV]   But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. [15]   Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. [16]   “For the man who hates and divorces, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

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We need to stand up for the holy institution of marriage because people quit too easily these days. Fight to keep your marriages full of love until the day you die!