Build a Strong and Happy Marriage

"CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH LOVE" 

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Love is the  most important quality in a marriage.  "Clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, and patience.  But besides all these things, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union." (Colossians 3:12, 14)  Self-sacrificing, Christlike love is the mortar that binds the building blocks of a sturdy marital union.  It makes the marriage unbreakable in the face of irritating personalty flaws, daunting health challenges, distressing financial crises, and challenging in-law issues. 

True, it takes loving devotion, loyal commitment, and earnest effort to make a marriage succeed. Rather than abandoning the marriage when difficulties  arise, marriage partners should be determined to make their relationship thrive-not just survive. Christian couples who are devoted  to Jehovah and to each other are motivated by their love for God and for each other to resolve  their difficulties, for "love never fails." -1 Corinthians 13:8; Matthew 19:5, 6; Hebrews  13:4. 

Building a strong and happy marriage is particularly challenging in the "critical times" in which we live.  (2 Timothy 3:1) But with Jehovah's help, it is possible. Still, couples also have to contend with the world's rampant moral decay.  The following article will consider what husbands and wives can do to fortify the spiritual defenses of their marriage. 

Next time: Let Jehovah Fortify and Safeguard Your Marriage

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015