My first year of marriage was difficult.  My wife and I had a lot of hardships and made a lot of mistakes.  But with all the mistakes we made, one thing we did right was we joined a premarital class before getting married.  The class was extremely helpful for us because we were young and naïve and had no idea about the commitment we were about to make. 

So we went through the class, and I’m convinced that our first year, though difficult, would have been twice as challenging had we not had the proper training.  One thing the class prepared us for was the work that goes into building a strong and healthy marriage.  Throughout the class, as we met with and were counseled by other couples and pastoral staff, something we learned was that strong and healthy marriages don’t just happen without any effort at all. 

We were reminded repeatedly that healthy relationships have to be continually nurtured and cultivated.  We were reminded repeatedly that though God had brought us together, though we were convinced that we were meant to be together and ready to commit our lives to one another, the strength of our bond was something we had to work at and care for continuously.  We also learned that the continued health of our relationship was directly contingent upon a continual walk with Christ.  We learned that there was a direct connection between the condition of our hearts and the state of things in our marriage.

What is true in a marriage relationship is especially true in a relationship between fellow believers in the church.  Though Scripture clearly teaches that believers are made one in Christ, the unity they have in Him must be cultivated, maintained, protected and strengthened.

For more on how to strengthen the unity we have as believers and as a church click HERE and listen to WALKING WORTHY IN UNITY.