321 is the name of this ministry and it is also the date that God appointed for my wedding – March 21st. Why is this date/number so special? Someone told me that 321 means Trinity, two become one. Two, a husband and a wife, become one with God be our center.​

Two months after we were married, God led us to begin preparing our hearts for the calling He has for us in ministry. One of those callings concerns marriage and family. I heard what God said, so I asked Him a question, “How could my husband and I lead a marriage ministry when we both failed in our previous marriages.” He gave me a clean and clear answer, “This is the exact reason, because you know the difference between a marriage with Christ and one without Christ.”

A marriage in Christ doesn’t simply mean going to church together, tithing ten percent of their combined income, reading the Bible or a devotion together every night before sleeping, or agreeing to send the children to a Christian’s school. God wants our heart! He wants us to grow and mature and live out His principle, as husband and wife, and as parents. In every family decision, Christ should be invited. No decision should be made by only two people. A marriage in Christ is not a relationship between two human beings who follow their weakness and desires, like Abram and Sarai who were made a decision to seek a child before God’s appointed time. Or, Isaac and Rebecca who determined which is their sons would be blessed. Rather, Christ should be in the center of all of every decision. His principles, His words, His commands, should be the center of a marriage. When He said, “two flesh shall become one”, it literally means they are no longer two. They should have one mind, be in one spirit, and trust in one God – Christ Jesus. They both desire to have Christ in them, and desire to please Christ more than pleasing each other. Their deep love for Christ will be their motivation to love each other. They will seek God’s will for each more than their own passion.

This does not mean that when we build our marriage in the foundation of Christ we will avoid all the struggles. There will still be weaknesses to overcome, difficulties to face, and differences to which will require adjustments. But, if we lay down our own will and live in one will – the will of Christ, we will walk through every valley and every trial and still stand.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16, NIV)

I desire not that my husband and I love each other in our own way or our own strength, but that we would love each other as Christ loves us.