The Gifts of Marriage - Companionship

Good morning, Five Minute Families. “Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today.” While June may not be the most popular month for weddings, it is special to us and many of our family and friends as the month when they entered into that sweet institution of marriage. Why is marriage called an institution? Marriage is one of the many social institutions recognized by researchers and studies of social relationships. Social institutions are the foundations of a society, meeting various human needs and functions. In Genesis 2:18, God established the institution of marriage as a biblical foundation when He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” And again in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Marriage brings the couple many gifts and blessings, and for the next three weeks we want to discuss three of those gifts as identified by Biola University’s Center for Marriage and Relationships - companionship, passion, and purpose. Today, let’s focus in on companionship. I love how God fully understood the need for companionship in marriage. Deuteronomy 24:5 points out that “[w]hen 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.” Companionship requires spending time with someone, and intentionally working on the other elements of companionship will help a five-minute couple build a strong, God-honoring marriage. Reciprocity - Reciprocity is the give and take for mutual benefit. Just as Ephesians 5:21 reminds us that we are to submit to one another, Ephesians 5:33 also points out that husbands are to love their wives as themselves, and wives are to respect their husbands. We must be willing to give what our spouse needs and accept what we need from our spouse. Support - Supporting one another is necessary in all human interactions and no less