Let Us Encourage What God Said Was “Very Good”

                When God began His creation work in Genesis chapter 1 He said, “Let there be light” and then “God saw that the light was good” in Genesis 1:3-4. Seven times in Genesis chapter 1 God saw what He created was “good”. In chapter 2 the scriptures we are given more details about His creation work.  God had said everything was good until He created man then said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.” (Genesis 2:18, HCSB) 
              "Everything thus far in Genesis that has been scrutinized by God has been given a positive assessment. Every situation has come through as either good or very good. For the first time we encounter something that is not good: man’s lack of a corresponding companion."  (Victor P. Hamilton)
                God is so good to provide what we need. Matthew Henry points out, “It is God only who perfectly knows our wants, and is perfectly able to supply them all, Philippians 4:19. In him alone our help is, and from him are all our helpers.” God knew what we needed we marriage and families.
                The very first institution God created for society was the marriage of a man and a woman, establishing the family. All of society and human life depends upon it. Nations cannot survive without marriages and families. Marriage was created before the church and the church can’t survive without strong marriages.
                Marriage is so important, so holy, and so blessed that God calls the church the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:9). The apostle Paul says husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved his bride and gave himself for her.
               "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, since we are members of His body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:25-33, HCSB)
                No wonder Satan’s first attack came upon us was on the first family. He wanted to destroy their relationship with God and with one another. He is still at it today. Satan loves pornography, hookups, adultery, perversions and divorce because these things destroy families, hurt children, tear at the very fabric of society, and ruins our witness. Satan loves our pain, heartache, and loneliness. God loves our harmony, joy, and intimacy so he gave us marriage and families.
                Let’s encourage love, marriage and families. Let’s be careful that what we say lifts up married life, having children, the many blessings of marriage. After all, when God finished creating man and woman and all they needed He said “it was very good” (Genesis, 1:31, HCSB).
 
Pastor Pat