Divorce: Matthew 5:31-32
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
When I read these verses, I’m amazed at how much Christ honored the sanctity of marriage. The wedding of one man and one woman has been the design from the beginning, something that God honors and provides for most, but not all. The Apostle Paul was clear in his teaching that some would not be married, and that would be a good thing as well! For the one who is single can focus more on ministry since he is not trying to please his wife or feed his family (but this is a whole different topic…focus…focus).
Jesus, again, puts the emphasis on the word Adultery. We must agree that adultery is a bad thing, but back up a few verses and we see the his broad definition of adultery traps us all (even if we want to deny it!). Then we have the definition of sexual immorality to deal with. It’s interesting that Jesus taught about this way before pornography was so easily accessed, long before magazines that invited the world to behave immorally, before television began its misdirection from family friendly to family crushing.
Our flesh is weak and we can slip in to sexual immorality so quickly because we aren’t focused on our heavenly purpose on earth. I long for a day when every couple gets to know each other well before getting married, for pastors to effectively challenge them in pre-marital counseling, and for Christ to be honored on their wedding day. If the marriage is built on this solid foundation, there is a much greater chance of success. When the storms of lust and immoral desires surface, they will not command the day because true commitment will survive.
My wife and I celebrated 27 years of marriage last month. Hard to believe. Not that we’ve remained married, but that so much time has quickly slipped by. I can honestly say our relationship is better today than it was 28 years ago when we met. I’m thankful to have a wife that’s as committed to me as I am to her. Without this mutual bond, without Christ as the center of our marriage and family, we might have been reading this scripture in a very different light, trying our best to figure out how to move around the words. We’ve had ups and downs, times of great disagreement, stressed discussions (ok, arguments!), but we have consistently worked through these–praise be to the Lord of all for his grace!
Take marriage vows seriously! One day Zoë and I will be sitting on the porch in rocking chairs watching the sunrise and sunset. I’m looking forward to growing really, really old with this wonderful woman! I hope you listen to the Lord when contemplating marriage. No need to rush, be patient and be honest and don’t give into lustful desires and sexual immorality. Life’s way too fun for that!