"God doesn't tell you who to marry. Love is not enough..." -Popular pastor addresses two common misconceptions about marriage

Quite an interesting read. 

Pastor Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life addressed two  common misconceptions Christian have about marriage.

1) Believing that there is only one perfect marriage match for each person in the world, and 2) that a marriage can survive solely on love.

He said that it is unbiblical and illogical to think that there is only one person for every person in the entire world.

 Warren explains: "If there were only one right person for everybody in the world, it would only take one person to make a wrong decision and break the chain for everybody else."

He continues by saying that although God may guide us in finding a spouse, ultimately it is our choice regarding who we decide to spend the rest of our lives with.

"In your life there are multiple people God might say it's okay for you to marry. There are millions that he would absolutely rule out, but there are multiple opportunities that God would say okay to. It's your choice. It's your preference," the pastor says.

It's important to note that along with the gift of choice, God has also given you the gift of grace in your marriage.

"If you're married already, God is at work in your marriage. There's no use arguing you married the wrong person. God will use your marriage to help you grow closer to Him.

Pastor Rick Warren

Another common misconception about marriage is that love is all a couple needs to see them through their union.
There are many other aspects besides love to consider when picking a mate, including similar values, a similar upbringing, and a similar commitment to Christ
"Just because you love someone does not mean you should marry that person," the pastor warns.

He said that God's gift to believers is choosing when and who to marry, so Christians must use this gift wisely to pick the right partner.

"God doesn't tell you who to marry. But He does give you a description of the kind of person that He desires for you to marry. And, if you're married — regardless of who you married — God is at work, even if you can't see it now," Warren says.

Warren also pointed out that God uses your spouse, and your relationship with each other, to form you into an image of Jesus. He says that marriage serves as the perfect tool to strengthen our relationship with God.

CP