The #1 Commandment of Marriage -
Thou Shalt Not Be a Selfish Pig
By Ed Young
(From the book, The Ten Commandments of Marriage)
Our first commandment deals with the number one problem in marriage, a setback that cropped up in the garden with Adam and Eve. Since then we've seen it continue all the way to the twenty-first century. It remains the number one problem in your marriage and in mine. Selfishness!
We all suffer from the sin of selfishness. It lies at the heart of nearly every marital problem. That's why our first commandment of marriage states: Thou shalt not be a selfish pig.
That's about as simple and blunt as you can get. Still, I'm convinced that if every couple walking down the aisle took seriously this single principle, a welcome oasis of marital bliss would spread across this nation.
I'm beginning to think I should incorporate these exact words into the marriage ceremony: "Thou shalt not be a selfish pig."
The first commandment calls us to do in marriage what the apostle Paul instructs all of us to do all the time:
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3 NIV).
Sounds easy, doesn't it? But our number one problem, selfishness, makes it tough.
