In my prayer time today, I heard the words, “sans-serif.” I knew this was a type of
font, but I thought it was unusual to enter my thoughts so abruptly and
clearly. I felt in my Spirit that there must be some sort of hidden message God
wanted to speak to me. I started researching about this style of font online. Sans-serif fonts have become the most prevalent for display of texts on computer
screens. The French Word “sans” means “without.” The term “serifs” refers to
small projecting features at the end of strokes. If you look at the picture,
you can see that in sans serif fonts, the ends are smooth and rounded. Serif
fonts have line width variation, whereas sans-serif fonts are consistent
without much line variation.
God
wants our marriages to be read by others in the sans-serif font. If
we want the message of Christ to be easily understood by others, our marriages
must boldly stand apart from those of the world. Psalm 139:16 says, “Your eyes did see my substance, being yet
unformed; and in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me,
when as yet there were none of them” (KJV, 2000). God wants each marriage
to tell a story. Our marriages have the capacity to serve as a divine
expression of His heart seamlessly knitted to His bride. God wants each marriage
to be an earthly type and shadow of
a glorious heavenly relationship. He wants us to love consistently, without variation from day to day.
When we purpose in our hearts to impart grace (unmerited,
undeserved favor) to our spouse, it is as if all our “serifs” or prominent
shortcomings, weaknesses, and mistakes have been effortlessly erased. As we
show grace more consistently, the message will become clear and bold to
everyone around you. Interestingly, sans serifs are sometimes used as a device
for emphasis due to their typically darker, bolder color. When we emphasize
grace rather than offense in our marriage, the message of the Gospel is
retraced in our own hearts and visible to others. Romans 5:20 says, “Moreover the law entered that offense might
abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” When we become rigid and unforgiving toward
our spouse, we are in essence, typing out the message of the law.
One of the tactics the enemy uses to distort the pure
message of Christianity is confusion. I believe the world is confused about
Christianity because of the conflicting messages that are daily encountered. A
good marriage is not characterized by the absence of offense, but rather the
presence of grace. Walking in unity is walking in grace. Romans 8:1 says, “There
is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not
walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” God wants the profession of our beliefs to match the demonstration of
our lives. If Jesus did not condemn you, then you have no right to condemn
your spouse or yourself for that matter.
Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” As our
marriage unfolds, it becomes a testimony to others, reflecting the resurrection
power of Christ in your relationship. Each word, each kind gesture, each hug,
each kiss, each sacrifice takes on such a greater meaning than you can
naturally comprehend.
I pray that God will pen each ordained marriage into
living epistles that will bring glory to His name. II Corinthians 3:2-3 says, 2“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts,
known and read by all men: 3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared
to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us written not with ink, but with
the Spirit of the living God; not in
tables of stone, but in fleshly tablets of the heart.” One day the earth
and all its contents will be destroyed, but the books that God writes will last
forever. How will your marriage read?
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