THE CONCLUSION OF YOUR MARRIAGE JOURNEY

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil".

A boy just attended his first wedding, and his friend asked him how many times a person can get married.

“Sixteen times,” said the boy. “I heard it with my own ears: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, and 4 poorer. 4+4+4+4=16”.

“Wow,” said his friend. “We better get married soon if we are supposed to get married that many times.”

If you don’t understand what is happening around you, it leads you to wrong conclusions.

What is conclusion?

A conclusion is the last part of something, its end or result. When you write a paper, you always end by summing up your arguments and drawing a conclusion about what you've been writing about.

Your life is like a book. Every book has a conclusion. All the secrets things, good or evil will not be fully comprehended until you read the conclusion.

Reading through the entire book of Ecclesiastes, you might think the often-repeated phrase “All is vanity” is the conclusion. Life in this physical world is often unfair, pointless and like grasping for the wind.

But Solomon does not end the book on that discouraging note. He puts human life in the proper perspective—in God’s perspective.

When we assess the world around us, and when we try to make sense of that which is taking place, and as we seek to live our lives in this world in wisdom and understanding, it is critical that we have the right perspective on things like job, marriage and business. Without the correct perspective and understanding of our purpose of existence, we are led to a sense of hopelessness and despair at the end. Solomon says, "Hear the conclusion of the matter, fear God, and keep his commandments: for that's the whole duty of man”.

Do you have the fear of God in your love life? Do you as a couple keep the commandments of God? Do you ever come to any conclusions about any matters? Do you ever come to any conclusion about things that matter? I mean, do you ever come to any meaningful conclusions about anything that really matters? This is your whole duty. I encourage you to set your perspective right. It’s not how you start the journey that matters, but how you finish. Will you finish well?

Some will say at the end of their journey like Solomon, “all is vanity” because they have wasted their lives without the fear of God and the keeping of His commandment. While others will say with David and Paul:

Acts 13:36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption”

2 Tim. 4: 7-8 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing”.

When I look out at you from my perspective, I honestly have to ask you this series of questions because I know some of you sitting here have never come to an appropriate conclusion about the matters of relationship and marriage. Do you fear God and keep His commandment of love?