There are two mountains I’m focused on: The Mount of Beatitudes and the Mount of Olives.

The first is all about heart transformation and character change, which is the oxygen in a marriage. Husbands and wives who seek to live the beatitudes will have invigorating air to breathe in their relationship.

The second one, which alludes to the return of Christ, also keeps us connected to a life source that will keep our marriage healthy. 1 JOHN 3:2-3. “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

I won’t be married to my wife in the age to come but our expectation of eternal life is a source of strength to our marriage today. It motivates us to rise above the petty troubles that seek to sabotage our home and to stir the power of the age to come, already a resident deposit within our hearts.  We have “tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.” (Hebrews 6:5) Like Abraham we are waiting for “the city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10). It’s ironic that a strategic component of any marriage is one that transcends the life of the marriage.

A healthy marital gaze is to look beyond your spouse to see Christ. The point is to seek to minister unto Jesus as you’re interacting with your partner. In the end it’s about Him receiving glory. Our marital agreement on this point helps to keep our marriage expectations reasonable and maintain a greater measure of diligence. We have a vital role to play in intercession and daily interaction that will have great bearing on one another’s eternal rewards. The judgment seat of Christ will produce eternal rewards on our individual behalf even though we worked as a team to compile them.

Transformation of character translates into “gold, silver, and precious stones” at the judgment seat of Christ. 

Eternal purpose is the backbone of earthly purpose. The zeal to be a full partner with Jesus, to rule and reign with Him, makes me a better spouse today. It keeps a good “edge” to my personal development that instantly transfers positively into my marriage.