"Live joyfully with the wife whom you love."           

Ecc 9:9 NKJV

Sonja Ely writes: "I was watching my five-year-old granddaughter play with her toys. At one point she staged a wedding, first playing the role of the mother who assigned specific duties, then suddenly becoming the bride with her ‘teddy bear' groom. She picked him up and said to the ‘minister' presiding, ‘Now you can read us our rights.' Without missing a beat, she became the minister who said, ‘You have the right to remain silent, anything you say may be held against you, you have the right to have an attorney present, you may kiss the bride.'" To know what your marriage rights are, you must understand that:

(1) Marriage is God's idea. In Eden He said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" (Ge 2:18 NKJV). The word comparable means "compatible with his (or her) needs." When you marry someone, you marry everything they've been through. Each of you brings your own baggage. Unless you sort out what to keep and what to discard, things can quickly erode. (2) When you leave God out, you have problems. Satan has made marriage one of his prime targets. He loves to promote strife. When it comes to marriage we must learn to forgive, "Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2Co 2:11 NKJV). God's plan for your relationship is strength and harmony, not strife and confusion. He wants to help you build a strong, loving union that glorifies Him. To do that, you must show grace, and resolve to make Jesus Lord of your relationship.