Marriage is where family begins. And family is one of the most important parts of our society. Without a healthy marriage, families and homes may be shattered, children might become unsuccessful, and our world may not become a better place to live in. This is why our Almighty God, through His words in the Holy Scriptures, shared His everlasting guide and teachings on how the husband and wife can build and maintain a successful, happy and healthy relationship as a married couple.
Whether you are still searching for the right one to marry, just got engaged, just got married, or have been married for years, here are 28 ways to have a successful marriage, with Bible verses to guide you. Let these Biblical tips and pieces of advice help you, not only to have a happy and lasting marriage, but also build a better home and world to live in.
1. Have a private home and be independent from your parents.
“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;” – Mark 10:6-7 KJV
2. Bless your home by always practicing righteousness.
“The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” – Proverbs 3:33 KJV
3. Do not desire your neighbors’ possessions.
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” – Exodus 20:17 KJV
4. Be responsible and affectionate with each other.
“The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.” – 1 Corinthians 7:3 NIV
5. Be loyal and surrender each self to each other.
“The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.” -1 Corinthians 7:4 KJV
6. Inspire the husband to be a reliable leader.
“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” – Ephesians 5:22-23 KJV
7. Love each other as you love yourselves.
“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” – Ephesians 5:28 KJV
8. Help each other overcome insecurities in your relationship.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” – 1 John 4:18 ESV
9. Build trust and confidence with one another.
“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” – Proverbs 31:10-11 KJV
10. Appreciate and compliment each other.
“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” – Proverbs 31:28 KJV
11. Be patient and gentle with each other.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. – Ephesians 4:2 NIV
12. Work on each other’s inner beauty.
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” – 1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV
13. Avoid toxic friends and other bad influences.
“Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. – Proverbs 22:24-25 KJV
14. Be slow to anger and avoid petty fights.
“It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.” – Proverbs 25:24 KJV
15. Confess your sins to each other and pray each other for healing.
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” – James 5:16 KJV
16. Forgive each other.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” – Colossians 3:12-13 ESV
17. Overcome your anger before the day ends.
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” – Ephesians 4:26 ESV
18. Don’t dwell on the past.
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” – Philippians 3:13 NIV
19. Don’t be hasty in making decisions and actions.
“House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord.” – Proverbs 19:14 KJV
20. Love each other truly.
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” – Romans 12:9 ESV
21. Love each other deeply.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8 NIV
22. Love each other by action, not by mere words.
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18 KJV
23. Let your marriage be guided always by love as defined in the Bible.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
24. Always remember that God is love, and love is the most important thing in your relationship.
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV
25. Always remember the golden rule.
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31 NIV
26. Continue to love and doing good to each other even in the midst of quarrels and misunderstandings.
“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” – Luke 6:27-28 KJV
27. Become better parents and learn to discipline your children.
“Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.” – Proverbs 29:17-19 NIV
28. Let God be the center of your marriage, not money and other materials things.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24 ESV
I hope that the words of God above have given you the knowledge and wisdom you need to have a successful and happy marriage. I pray for your success and joy as a married couple today and the future.