And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28(KJV).
The essence of understanding the purpose of anything is to give one the needed expectation, hope, and direction. One of the major reasons for marriage is fruitfulness and multiplication in all areas of marital life.
What are fruitfulness and Multiplication?
The Hebrew word for fruitfulness is – Parah (which is pronounced paw-raw). Its prime root means to bear fruit or be fruitful. It also means growth and increases.
Also, the Hebrew word for multiplication is Rabah: which is to increase (in whatever respect). Rabah as a verb means to multiply, become numerous, become great. It connotes a numerical increase. Other words that have the same root with multiply in the bible are much, many, exceedingly, greater and abundance.
Are fruitfulness and multiplication compulsory in a marriage?
Genesis 1:28 is a command and secondly it is the word of God. It, therefore, means that fruitfulness and multiplication is an integral part of marriage. From the inception of marriage, God knew that fruitfulness d multiplication will be of an advantage to man. God also went ahead to infuse in a man the ability and capacity for fruitfulness and multiplication.
“And God blessed man”; the word blessed is the ability and capacity that God infused in a man that will enable him to be fruitful and multiply. God commanded man said to him; because my ability is in you must be fruitful and the multiply in every area of your life.
You are created in the image and likeness of God. God also wants you to live a fruitful life and that was why he has wired you with the needed ability. The Lest you can do is to be fruitful and experience an increase in your marriage. Despite the fact that God had given you a free will to do whatever you like, it is expected of you to leverage on God's free gift and get the best for your marriage.
The four areas of fruitfulness and multiplication.
There are four major areas of marriage that are not supposed to be stagnant. These areas are: spiritual, physical, emotional and finance
If there is no balance between these four areas, there will be a problem in the marriage.
Spiritual fruitfulness and multiplication.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?1 Corinthians 3:1-3. (KJV).
The presence of hatred, strife, division, infidelity is an indication that there is a deficiency in the area of spiritual growth.
Spiritual growth simply means developing Christ-like character (discipleship). Spiritual growth is not something that happens by accident. It must be intentional and must be pursued with commitment, dedication, and discipline.
Spiritual fruitfulness and multiplication occur through intentionally joining and undergoing discipleship programs. The reason is to become like Christ in words and in action. maturity is a journey that takes time and requires a high level of commitment. Marriage is meant for adults. Therefore give yourself to the program of continuous self-development.
Physical fruitfulness and multiplication.
You are in marriage to physically look good for your spouse. Don’t be careless with your physical appearance. Take good care of your body and how you look. This is part of been physically fruitful. Sarah was a woman that took her physical appearance very seriously. Genesis 12:11-13 (NLT).
Another area of physical fruitfulness and multiplication is re-production. God created marriage for mankind to reproduce himself. You are given birth to so that you can give birth to others. Children are blessings from God (Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.Psalms 127:3) therefore couples are in marriage to have children.
Having children is one of the redemptive blessings from God. Therefore if your marriage has not produced children, stand on the finished work of Jesus and believe God for your own children and God will give them to you.
Emotional fruitfulness and multiplication.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8 (KJV).
Be mindful of the things you think about your spouse. If your mind is not right about your spouse, you will not get much from him or her.
Emotional fruitfulness is the process of intentionally feeding your mind with good information about your spouse. As a man thinks in his heart (mind) so he is. What are your thoughts about your spouse? Start the practice of positive thinking about your spouse. Use the Philippines 4:8 as a guideline.
Financial fruitfulness and Multiplication.
For you are recognizing [more clearly] the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [His astonishing kindness, His generosity, His gracious favor], that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich (abundantly blessed).2 Corinthians 8:9 (AMP).
Money is good to be in adequate supply in every marriage. Money itself is not the root of evil but the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). The scripture said that money is a defense and that money answers everything ( See Ecclesiastes 7:32 & 10;19). This does not mean that you will value money above your spouse because doing so will definitely lead to serious trouble.
Despite Jesus' redemptive financial provision, it is still required that you and your spouse must have a financial plan. There is a need to always have as a plan for how the money will be coming in and how the money will be going out.
There is a need for a high corporation in the area of money in your marriage. Remember that the two of you are now one. Therefore you need to be as open as possible to your spouse in this area. Above all, two will always be better than one.
Conclusion.
God is not stagnant in nature neither does he decrease nor diminish. He is a God of increase and he expects us to emulate him and be increasing at the right proportion.
These four areas spiritual, physical, emotion and finance must be in a balance. I have seen rich men committing suicide, not because of money but maybe because their emotional or spiritual aspect is deficient. Therefore learn how to balance these four areas