Some Bad Marriages Do Not Involve Conflict.

It is easy for young people to ask about the basics: Is she hot? Does he have a great career? Does she laugh at my jokes? Does he listen to me? Is she affectionate? Is he romantic?  Traits like these are easy. 

But you must evaluate a potential spouse on a deeper level: does he love God? Is she a hard worker? Is he honest? Is she selfless? Will he put his family above his career? Can she serve without complaining? Is he committed to doing things the RIGHT way, or will he cut corners to get ahead? 

Older adults are more perceptive about these deeper traits.  LISTEN to their counsel.

WHY?  Because the biggest influence in your adult life will be your spouse. 

Marriage pours your two lives into one cup and stirs.  Slowly he will become more like her—and she will become more like him.  Your spouse will be a HUGE influence on the next fifty years of your life!

Some do not choose wisely.  I’m not talking about conflicts within marriage.  Sometimes the two get along well enough, but their union produces evil results because they both have the same temptations.  Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both are ambitious, for example, and it drives them to commit murder after murder.

Similarly, Israel suffered many evil kings, but only one with a wife like Jezebel. With her by his side, King Ahab became worse than all the others.

“There was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight, BECAUSE HIS WIFE JEZEBEL INCITED HIM” 1 Kings 21:25.

God punished Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab was shot with an arrow and bled so much prostitutes bathed in his blood and the dogs licked up the rest, 1 Kings 22:38.  Later Jezebel was thrown out a window, run over by a chariot, and eaten by dogs so quickly that only her skull, feet, and palms could be found for burial, 2 Kings 9:35.

Ahab and Jezebel made a bad marriage. 

Pre-marital counseling is important. 

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” Proverbs 15:22.

*The pic above is stray dogs roaming the streets of Mumbai and was published in the India Times.

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