Jump Start # 858

Isaiah 62:5 “As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his ride, so will your God rejoice over you.”

We continue our Jump Start theme of weddings and marriage. My daughter is getting married in a few days and things are really busy now. Over the weekend, my wife and I were home alone, which seems a rarity lately. We decided to watch a movie. Of course, we chose, “Father of the bride.” How fitting. I can relate.

Our passage is one of many in which God illustrates His relationship with His people through marriage. The idea of “the Builder marry you,” and “your God rejoice over you,” parallels the sweet, young and pure love between a young man and a young woman who get married. God loved His people. His love was like that of a couple getting married. God’s love is genuine and good.

I have preformed many weddings and have attended many weddings. Big weddings. Small weddings. Expensive weddings. Weddings on a small budget. Weddings with lots of live music and weddings with very little music. One thing I find in every wedding is the bride and the groom saying, “I do.” I do.

That statement is a claim of affirmation. An agreement. We might say, “Who wants ice cream?” The response is, “I do.” When the bride and groom say their, “I do’s” they are agreeing to each other. They are affirming their vows. They are promising to each other. I do.

Now, we rarely think, especially in weddings, of “I do” as actually doing something. But that is the key to marriage. I like to think of it in that way. Saying, “I do,” being more than just an affirmation or agreement, but a promise to actually “DO” something. That is the key. If marriage is entered with the idea of only “GETTING,” and not “DOING” then it will become lopsided and miss what God intended. Marriage is doing. Marriage is I do and you do.

The greatest arena in which we get to have the heart of a servant is in marriage. We serve our mate. We build them up, support them, help them out, defend them, trust them, and believe in them. I do.

Here is a sample list of I do’s in a marriage.

• I do listen to you
• I do what I can to help you go to Heaven
• I do try to make you holy first, and then happy
• I do help out
• I do share life with you
• I do include you
• I do share my heart with you
• I do apologize when I am wrong
• I do forgive when you have wronged me
• I do spend time with you
• I do things that you want to do
• I do pray for you ever day
• I do take interests in the things that are important to you
• I do want us to succeed in marriage and in life
• I do want you to shine and use your talents
• I do.

I suppose for all those, “I do’s,” we could make a list of “I don’ts.” When a person says, “I do,” there are some “I don’ts” that are implied and necessary for trust in a marriage. I have heard some sad and frustrated wives complain that their husbands come home from work, flop on the couch and watch TV until bedtime. These sad stories all have a common theme, “He doesn’t DO anything around the house to help.” He doesn’t DO. He’s forgotten the “I DO” part. The “I do,” is not something that is said once at a wedding ceremony and then it is never brought up again. No, sir. Not at all. The “I do” is lived every day. Each day is a “doin’” day. Each day brings opportunity to serve, shine and help each other in the marriage.

Some have the twisted selfish view that marriage is all about their personal happiness. They see the purpose of marriage is that the other person is supposed to make me happy. Wrong. It’s not even about making the OTHER person happy. Marriage is about God. It is about two people glorifying God in all that they do. That will bring happiness. Holiness and honor of God is the path which happiness and joy travel.

Doing is a major theme of discipleship. At the end of the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus said, “Go and DO thou likewise.” Go and repeat this story. Go and do this. Paul told the Galatians, as we have opportunity, let us DO good to all men, especially those of the household of faith.” Let us be doing. Christianity is a DOING religion. It’s not intended to be an intellectual and exclusive THINK TANK. It is a DOING mechanism. We are the hands, feet and eyes of God. We are called to serve. We must have busy hands doing what we can for others.

One of the first places we do all this DOING is in marriage. I do. It might be good for you to make your own, “I do,” list in your marriage. It ought to include more than bringing home the bacon and paying the bills. There ought to be some personal and specific things your mate sees you “DOING.”

As a young man marries a young woman…the doing part just gets started.

Roger