I wanted to formally recommend Tim Keller’s book on marriage called The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God. I have quoted from it a few times here on the blog, but wanted to give it my full endorsement as well. If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you know I am a huge fan of Keller’s books and sermons, and this book on marriage is ranked right up there with my favorites. Here is a quote that hit home for me not only why this book was so good, but why marriage is so awesome:

Have you ever traveled to a mountainous part of the world when it was cloudy and rainy? You look out your windows and you can see almost nothing but the ground.  Then the rain stops and the clouds part and you catch your breath because there, towering right over you, is this magnificent peak.  But a couple of hours later the clouds roll in and it has vanished, and you don’t see it again for a good while.  That is what it is like to get to know a Christian.  You have an old self and a new self (Ephesians 4:24).  The old self is crippled with anxieties, the need to prove yourself, bad habits you can’t break, and many besetting sins and entrenched character flaws.  The new self is still you, but liberated from all your sins and flaws.  This new self is always a work in progress, and sometimes the clouds of the old self make it almost completely invisible.  But sometimes the clouds really part, and you see the wisdom, courage, and love of which you are capable.  It is a glimpse of where you are going.

Within this Christian vision for marriage, here’s what it means to fall in love.  It is to look at another person and get a glimpse of the person God is creating, and to say, “I see who God is making you, and it excites me!  I want to be part of that.  I want to partner with you and God in the journey you are taking to his throne.  And when we get there, I will look at your magnificence and say, ‘I always knew you could be like this. I got glimpses of it on earth, but now look at you!’”  Each spouse should see the great things that Jesus is doing int he life of their mate through the Word, the gospel.  Each spouse then should give him- or herself to be a vehicle for that work and envision the day that you will stand together before God, seeing each other presented in spotless beauty and glory.

I got chills reading that quote. It is the amazing reality of marriage that says, “I see you for all of your sins and faults, more than anyone else in the whole world, yet I love you deeply and truly, more than anyone else in the whole world.” And of course, as two sinful human beings, we do not do that perfectly, but that longing to do so points us to the love God has for us in Jesus. God knows our inward sinfulness better than anyone, yet He sacrificed Himself in the greatest way to show how much He loves us and still wants us to be His own. I know of nothing else on earth that can stir me to such great emotion and desire to live in a deep and profound way.

So I highly recommend this book. The link above will take you to Amazon where you can get it (only comes in hardcover or Kindle right now) for $15-$13. It is totally worth the purchase!

One of my favorite authors and preachers is Tim Keller.  I have mentioned his books on every year end reading list I have compiled and quoted form his books often on here.  I also really enjoy listening to his sermons, and thankfully there are a ton of free ones out there to listen to.  But my husband recently alerted me to a great way to listen to them through the Redeemer Presbyterian Church app.  You can also subscribe to the Timothy Keller Podcast on iTunes as well.

And if you do get the app or subscribe to the podcast or maybe are just looking for a message to listen to, I’d like to suggest the sermon entitled “Treasure vs. Money” from 2/9/10.  I just listened to it the other morning and could not think of one person I know who wouldn’t benefit from it.  As Keller mentions in the sermon, greed is the one sin that no one thinks they are guilty of and is exactly why we need to be on guard against the love of money.  It is a subject that people get very up in arms about when you approach it.  And as Keller also says, if he preached on money as much as Jesus did, he wouldn’t have a church.  If nothing else, listen to it to give you something to discuss with your spouse or friends this weekend.