Bob Coy: "It's interesting that the first decision the Lord speaks of in regards to marriage is that of the man leaving his father and mother in order to be joined to his wife."

Devotionals by Active Word

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Dissolution solution
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Dissolution solution

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife…" Matthew 19:5 (NKJV)

Marriage is something that requires men and women to make certain decisions. So what exactly do those decisions look like? There are quite a few of them that we'll be looking at throughout this month. But for starters, let's look at the one Jesus highlights here.

It's interesting that the first decision the Lord speaks of in regards to marriage is that of the man leaving his father and mother in order to be joined to his wife. That's fascinating, because there are a lot of other things Christ could have covered here: finances, sexual intimacy, or the proper roles for husbands and wives. All those are valid, but He highlights the dissolution of something instead.

The word dissolution means to do away with something. So why does Jesus put a priority on this? Does He not want husbands to have any kind of relationship with their parents? Does He want them to completely sever these ties?

Absolutely not! Jesus isn't against the parental bond. Rather, He's for the marital bond. He knows that in order for a man and wife to fully enter into God's purposes for marriage, there needs to be a dissolution…a doing away with something. And that something is our old way of life.

Unfortunately, a lot of marriages get stalled right there. The decision to have a wedding is made, the decision to live under the same roof is made, and even the decision to have children is made. But the decision to truly let go of the old way of life, to fully surrender their sense of independence for the sake of their new life together, isn't.

In order for couples to fully embrace all marriage holds for them, they need to let go of something first.

Think about it…

 What does this passage reveal to me about God? 
What does this passage reveal to me about myself? 
Based on this, what changes do I need to make? 
What is my prayer for today? 

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