7 Principles for Having a Marriage of Purpose

Principle 1: Keep God at the center of your marriage
by: Cheryl and Keith Donovan

Having God at the center of your marriage means more than just going to church together or saying grace before mealtime. Frequently when my husband Keith and I are alone together, we talk about the Lord. We remind each other of how good He's been to us and we discuss what He's doing in our lives right now. We have times when together we discuss passages of scripture we've read from the Bible. You'll also see and hear us praying for our children, for wisdom for the day, and any petitions we are seeking the Lord for. This is what it means for God to be Lord of our marriage.

We take seriously the commitment we made to God through our vows. We seek at evey occasion to make our marriage glorify God through the way we treat one another, speak to one another, and love one another. Our marriage is a lab for learning how to love like Jesus. Testing our faith our fortitude and our resilience, each day we embark upon a new experiment. Some days the experiment is a success, other days we have to return to our lab manual, the Bible, and formulate a new hypothesis, a new theory, that will prove our union worthy of purpose. Our marriage has been the best work room for God to teach us to look more like Him.

Striving to reflect our ultimate service to God for which we were both made Keith and I look for ways to display our servant hood to one another and to others. We have come to understand and accept that some of the very things we regret about our marriage, some of the things we wish we could forget, are the very things that God has used over and over again as we minister to and encourage couples who share the same struggles. God hasn’t just used our strengths; He’s used our weaknesses and even our failures to edify relationships on the brink of catastrophe.

Our mission as believers is to now use our marriage as a means to tell others about love. Our marriage is a lifelong process designed to teach us to see the needs of another person as more important than our own. The more we shift in that direction, the more our marriage becomes focused on the needs of others and balancing our purpose. Life is more fulfilling when you choose to be obedient to God and keep Him at the center.

Keep God at the center of your marriage. Remember God’s plan for you and your spouse are plans to prosper you and to give you a future full of hope. It is exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ever ask or think. But each of you must be willing to chase it.

Cheryl Lacey Donovan is an Award-winning author, Bible teacher, and licensed Evangelist, Cheryl's books, CD's, and devotionals are not meant to only entertain, but to also minister to and encourage others.

Keith Donovan is a husband, father, son, and most importantly a man of God. He endeavors to emulate the image of Christ as he forges his way through life.

Keith and Cheryl have been married for seventeen years and have three grown children and one grandson.

Their new book Do You Still Do What Happens Happily Ever After can be pre-ordered by visiting Peace in the Storm Publishing. To learn more about them visit their website
Do You Still Do Marriage