You can do many different things to keep your marriage growing. You can show affection, act unselfishly, and forgive each other. But by far the most important decision you and your spouse can make in your marriage is to remain committed to following Jesus together.

The Bible says, “Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith” (Colossians 2:7 GNT). Both you and your spouse may have committed your lives to Jesus at some point, but you need to ask yourself, “Are we continuing to live out our faith as a couple?”

Here are some practical ways you can follow Jesus together (many of these ideas can apply to other family relationships too):

1. Get baptized together. If you haven’t done so already, publicly identify yourself as a Christian. If Jesus is going to be the center of your marriage, it only makes sense that you both tell the world you’re following him. I love to see husbands and wives get baptized together. It’s a wonderful way to declare you’re committing your lives and marriage to Jesus.

2. Get in a small group together. Challenge your marriage spiritually by connecting with other Christian couples. As you learn together to apply God’s Word to your marriages and lives, you’ll sharpen one another spiritually. You’ll also be challenging each other to serve in ministry and share your faith regularly. Growing as a follower of Christ and as a spouse requires consistent accountability from other believers.

3. Renew your wedding vows. If you’ve committed your life to Jesus or renewed your commitment in a meaningful way since you first said your wedding vows, consider renewing those vows. It’s likely they’ll mean something different to you today.

4. Pray for and with each other. “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG). Who doesn’t want a marriage where you live together whole and healed? The Bible says this can happen when you confess to one another when you’re wrong and pray for and with each other.

5. Follow God’s Word. When couples read God’s Word together and apply it to their lives, it transforms their relationship and establishes a firm foundation for a lifetime together.

Your marriage may be going through a difficult season, but there’s still hope. Your marriage can find life again. But it has to start with you putting Jesus at the center of it. Do what God tells you to do in his Word, and your marriage can start growing again. 

Jesus is the glue for any marriage. When everything else is tearing you apart and you feel like giving up, he will hold you together.