Partnership, Agreement, and the Work of Relationships
MARRIAGE
Prince Leunado
12/5/20252 min read
The Bible records in Acts 13:2,
“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
This was God Himself approving the partnership of Paul and Barnabas for ministerial work. Yet, if you read further, you’ll discover that partnership didn’t last. It crashed. Both men went on to do great things separately, but the partnership itself failed.
Why Did It Fail?
One of the reasons was simple: they failed to work on the partnership. The Bible says in Amos 3:3,
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
The answer is no. Agreement is the glue of partnership. Without it, even God-ordained relationships can fall apart.
The Lesson for Marriages
This truth applies not only to ministry partnerships, but also to marriages. Even in God-ordained marriages, if the parties involved refuse to work on the relationship, it will fail.
We often hear divorce explained as “irreconcilable differences.” That phrase means the couple reached a point where they could no longer overlook differences, no longer agree, and no longer work together.
In every relationship, there is God’s part, and there is the human part. The mistake many make is to leave their part to God and expect the relationship to work automatically. But God will not do your part for you.
Courtship and Failure
Even in courtship, when relationships fail, it doesn’t always mean the relationship wasn’t ordained by God. Sometimes, it simply means both parties refused to work on it.
That period of failure shouldn’t bring you down. You can still have a great relationship, and the other person can also go on to have a great relationship. The failure of one partnership doesn’t mean the failure of your destiny.
A Friend’s Wisdom
A friend once told me something that has stayed with me:
“God’s will is system, not a person. As long as the person is in the system, he or she is in the will. The moment they shift or leave the system, they cease to be in the will.”
That means God’s will isn’t tied to one individual. It’s tied to alignment with His system, His principles, His order. If someone leaves that system, they step out of the will, but the system itself remains.
My Takeaway
Partnerships, marriages, friendships, all require work.
God ordains, but we must maintain.
God calls, but we must agree.
God blesses, but we must build.
The failure of Paul and Barnabas reminds us that even anointed people can lose partnership if they refuse to work on agreement. And the same is true for us today.
So whether in ministry, marriage, or friendship, remember: God’s part is sure, but your part is necessary.
