thrives on companionship, love
and permanence.
1. The aspect of the vow “to have
and to hold from this day forward”
speaks of Companionship. When
you get married, your spouse
should become your closest companion and best friend.
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The Vow
VOWS TO CHERISH
years ago Joseph and Mary
(names changed) stood before many witnesses and
made their vows with beaming
smiles and so much love oozing
out one to the other. The plan was
for it to last forever. Today they are
separated and broken. Whatever
went wrong?
Almost every day, thousands of
couples stand before a priest,
preacher, judge or registrar and
exchange wedding vows. Unfortunately, many of these couples
break their vows within a matter
of weeks, for reasons both serious,
and unserious. Many break their
vows because they were not prepared for the challenges of marriage. When a couple is first in love,
there are usually intense emotions
of ecstasy and excitement that
cloud their judgement on how living with their spouse will actually
be, so they overlook the reality of
the future.
Many couples do not take their
vows serious because they do not
understand what it means to make
a marital vow. Even at the wedding
ceremony, little attention is paid
to the vows being said. The vows
don’t really mean much; they are
just a part of what happens at a
wedding ceremony, it seems.
Marital Vows are sacred vows. They
are sacred to God. They should
therefore be sacred to every married couple. Marriage is a covenant
relationship between a married
couple (man and woman), and
God places a high premium on
that relationship. He expects every
party in that marriage to be true to
their marital vows.
Truth
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“
I David take you, Beatrice, to
be my lawfully wedded wife, to
have and to hold, from this day
forward, for better for worse, for
richer for poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love and to cherish, till
death do us part”
This is a customary marriage vow.
A vow is a solemn promise each
partner makes to the other during a wedding ceremony. It is a
promise to remain committed
and be true to each other in good
times and in bad, in sickness and
in health, in poverty and in wealth,
and to love, honour and cherish
one another all the days of their
lives till death separates them.
The wedding vows are a recognition that the couple are entering
into a covenant relationship that
2. The “for better for worse, for
richer for poorer, in sickness and
in health, to love and cherish” part
means you are vowing to love and
honour each other regardless of
circumstances, good or bad.
3. The phrase “till death do us part”
talks of longevity. Marriage is a lifelong covenant agreement
Why not re-visit your vows if you
are married (this might mean
bringing out and watching your
wedding DVD / Video again for a
date night). Begin to grasp what
they mean and start taking them
serious.
Rev & Pastor (Mrs) Henshaw
are Senior Pastors of Word of Life
Church, a KT/LCC Lewisham. They
also host marriage for Life courses
helping couples rebuild their relationships. If you want to know more
about their ministry get in touch.
Truth
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