We’ve got some bad news for you. After encouraging you to be ready for God’s best, it is our sad duty to inform you that you are incapable of getting yourself ready for God’s best in marriage—or in any other area of your life, for that matter. You just can’t do it. You don’t have it in you. Sorry.
We really mean it; you’re incapable of this. And so are we. And so is everybody else you’re going to meet today. But there is Someone who is capable of making you ready for God’s best, as you cooperate with this particular Someone. We’re talking about the Holy Spirit.
Think about what God’s best in marriage really means, according to the Scriptures (see Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7). If you’re a man, it means you are to give yourself up for your wife as Christ gave Himself up for the church. You’re to sanctify her, love her as you love your own body, cherish her, and honor her despite her weakness. If you’re a woman, experiencing God’s best in marriage means that you will submit to your husband, respect him, and cultivate the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Do you really think you can do all this—and more that it takes to have the kind of marriage God wants for you—on your own? If so, good luck with that!
Dear friend, you need help if you are going to experience God’s best in marriage. Willpower won’t do it. Advice shows on TV won’t do it. Your friend Bert, who always thinks he knows best, won’t do it. You need the Holy Spirit to come alongside you, empower you, and show you the way.