I  will  continue  on the  subject of  "Developing  A  Strong Marriage"  with  this important thought: A Strong Marriage must possess a Commitment To Meet The Needs  Of  Your  Mate.  In  Genesis 2:18 God said,  "It is not good  that the man should be alone;  I will make him an help meet for him".   Adam had named all the animals  (Gen. 2:19)  and he recognized that every animal  had a mate except  him-self.   So  God  made a "help meet"  for Adam. The words "help meet" means one suitable for  him,  corresponding to him,  or  one who assist another to reach  com- plete  fulfillment.   The  husband  is  to  assist  his  wife  in  reaching  her  full  po-tential. Likewise the wife is to help her husband reach complete fulfillment as well.  Each partner comes to the marriage with individual needs that must be met  by the other partner.  Everyone has emotional  needs,  physical needs,  social needs,  and intellectual  needs.   These  important  needs  are  developed  best in  the  marriage relationship.   It  is  there that both  husband and  wife are able to help  each  other reach complete fulfillment.  Sometimes  you instinctively know  what the needs are of your husband or wife.  However,  some needs you  must  learn  by  observation and others you must be taught by your spouse exactly what the need is and how to meet that specific need.   This takes careful observation and steadfast commitment on your part if you are able to  meet your wife or husband's needs.    In his  book, His Needs,  Her Needs,  Willard Harley list five basic needs for both  husband and wife.  For the wife  Mr. Harley  suggest that she needs  (1) Affection,  (2) Conver-sation,  (3) Honesty and openness, (4) Financial support, and  (5)  Family commit-ment.  The  husband,  according  to  Mr. Harley's  book,  needs   (1) Sex,  (2) Re-creational  companionship,  (3) An  attractive  spouse,  (4) Domestic  support,  and (5) Admiration.  Having  observed couples  for a number of years,  I readily  agree with his assessment of the needs of both wife  and husband.  These  needs  cannot be met alone.  Each partner  needs the  commitment of each other in faithfully and fully meeting these important needs.  I must give you a  strong word of caution:  If you consistently fail to meet the needs of your spouse you discourage  the heart of your mate.  Tragically, a  long-term neglect of important needs could provide  opp-ortunity  for  someone else to  meet the needs outside  of  the martial  relationship.  This  must  not be allowed to happen.  Purpose  in your heart to  fulfill every legiti-mate need of your husband or wife.   Remember,  if you are going to  Develop  A Strong  Marriage, then  you  must be  Committed  To Meeting  The  Needs Of Your  Mate.  

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