Francis Chan: Don’t Focus on Marriage, Focus on the PURPOSE of Marriage: Making Disciples

LISTEN NOW! In our present culture, marriage is a continual topic. The backbone of any society is the family, but what is God’s perspective of marriage? God wants us to have blessings, but when we receive these blessings, we can begin to focus on the blessing, and not on God who provided the blessing. This can be very true of what takes place within marriages today.

God has a will and a purpose for each one of us. Some of us may get married, and some may not. If we do get married, the purpose for our lives shouldn’t change. Instead of focusing our entire lives wholly on our spouses and our families, how does one live continually focused on God? These are the very points that Francis Chan brings wisdom to as he points to the purpose of marriage.

Chan brings emphasis to 1 Corinthians 7:29, “What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not.” This life is short. We begin to make dramatically different decisions when we understand to brevity of our lives. Marriage isn’t about marriage; it’s about God. Chan knows this all too well. His mother died giving birth to him. His step-mother died in a car accident and his dad died of cancer when Chan was 12 years old. Marriage is not forever.

Chan emphasizes that marriages must be about this mission. “Time is short. It’s about this mission. You got to get it. There’s got to be a mission to your marriage. You both have to understand, ‘Look, here’s what I’m on the Earth to do.’”Jesus could not have been clearer when He told His disciples in Matthew 28:30, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Many kids have played follow the leader; but when it comes to following Jesus, we have turned His commandments into just simply memorizing what the scripture says. No parent will accept a child memorizing what chores they were supposed to do instead of simply doing it. As parents, if we understand the obvious reality of this analogy, how can we be surprised that a life of not making disciples is not acceptable before Christ.

Each of us should have an undivided devotion to the Lord. Chan asks this provoking question, “What do you think about during a given day? Do you spend time thinking about family affairs or the Lord’s affairs? Thinking about what God wants you to do as a family, or just thinking about your family?” He continues to share, “I’m telling you, if you’re focused on the mission of God, that’s what brings this whole thing together.” The life that we live is not about this life, it’s about being effective in this life. Life is but a vapor. We are here for but a short time, and then eternity.

Allow your perspective of marriage to greatly be challenged, be reminded of a heavenly devotion to Christ, the importance of being a disciple and making disciples, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: relationships, covenant, marriage, eternity, obedience, worship, missions, Africa, death, vision, Simon Says, division, and Emmaus Road. John and Steve shared in this segment.

Courtesy of Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

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Live like your Not Married

1 Corinthians 7:29

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