Relish life with the spouse you love

When King Solomon was young he was a bit of a naughty boy. He had many honeys and honeymoons because he had many wives and concubines. Don’t do that! One is good enough to handle. Solomon’s wives caused him a lot of trouble and his kingdom became broken and divided.

Now, near the end of his life, he realized, and had wished he had poured out all his love on the wife of his youth. As you will notice the word wife is in a singular form, (not wives, plural). He was a man who had many wives, but he speaks in the singular rather than the plural. One partner, one heart, one soul-mate, that’s all you need. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says, Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labour which you perform under the sun.

(TLB) “Live happily with the woman you love through the fleeting days of life, for the wife God gives you is your best reward down here for all your earthly toil.”

(MSG) “Relish (enjoy greatly) life with the spouse you love Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one!”

Prov.5:18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.

One old Jewish manuscript says that having many children was a sign of blessing. Keep your wife happy, loving her and living comfortably with her, providing for her well and her children. ” rejoice with the wife of thy youth” meaning the wife you married when you were young and lived with ever since; do not despise her, nor divorce her, even in old age, but delight in her company now as ever.

She is the wife of your youth. You married her when you were both young. The Bible says, “Rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18). One powerful safeguard against adultery is pretty obvious: happiness in your wife that lasts a lifetime.

Proverbs 5:18 does not say, “Rejoice in your young wife.” No wife can remain young for long—as you know. Even though they use various types of oils to keep them young.

Therefore, your wife should be counted as your treasure from heaven—prepared for you, for your joy, to serve and to be served. In married life, there are moments of irritations and sometimes seasons of dissatisfaction and discontent one with another. No doubt this happens once in a while in every relationship. Why not determine in your life together-- to let each day be a joyful honeymoon? Why not? Don’t be a grumpy old man or woman.

That may sound crazy. But it is the best alternative. Marital fulfilment is a choice. My advice is, choose to live and love joyfully. It takes two to tango as they say. If one does not cooperate, you are heading for trouble.

Your wife is God’s gift to you (vice versa). Have you ever thought of that? Because she is a precious gift handle her with care and lovingly. A woman, your wife is a fragile vessel, she needs your loving attention, loving tender touch and good communication.

Notice it says ‘enjoy’ your life with your wife. It does not say “endure” or merely survive.

Those who have wives, are you fun to be with your wife? Do you have fun in your marriage now? Hard question. I cannot answer that for you. But this Good Book tells us “enjoy life with your wife.” I’ve got no choice but to preach it.

Husbands and wives hear this wise counsel from an old man: Do not wait until you retire to enjoy life with your wife. If you are a married person or meditating to get married one day ask yourself: Am I fun to live with? Then Solomon adds in v10, “Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.”

Live fully with your wife and for God. Enjoy God and enjoy living. You must stop thinking that you must wait until you die, before you live. Throw yourself wholeheartedly into life with your wife in there, here and now. Do not wait when you are very old. Enjoy it and grow old gracefully.

If you believe and accept God’s grace through Christ, you can have a wonderful marriage. All by grace and by grace alone.