Marriage

* Scriptures from Biblegateway.com

[Matthew 5:31,32]

If the last passage Jesus spoke was controversial, then this statement was certainly a slap in the face to the first century Jews, and, unfortunately, many in the church today. Even I was hesitant to approach the topic, not because of the words but because I am purely basing this on teaching, not being married myself. Today, however, I realized something critical: Jesus was not married either. That did not keep Him from speaking with authority (which we will see later). I am not an ordained minister, but I do come to you to share what God has shown me from those who have authority. Please read on with an open mind.

Notice that I titled this devotional "marriage," and not "divorce." This reflects what I feel was Jesus's purpose in saying what He did. He was not attacking divorce, but rather the act of giving up on one's marriage. It is easy to get caught up in a lot of red tape, so let us get to the root of the problem. Divorce is not a healthy decision that one wishes to make. Most understand that "'til death do us part" means the corporeal death, not the death of the love's flame. If they honestly do feel that way, they should reread Jesus's words here, that there is no legitimate cause for divorce except sexual immorality. Sexual immorality was addressed in the last devotional so we will not indulge in the subject except to mention this - it can be argued that if sex is not left as something for marriage, then it may encourage one to participate in it with a person other than their spouse. If it is not exclusive to marriage can be treated casually, then it should not be considered dishonorable to engage in a casual activity with another.

What was Jesus trying to say here then? To those of you who are married, the message is to be taken literally. He addresses the issue later in Matthew 10, when the Pharisees asked Him if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. These are the words that Jesus spoke: "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" [Matthew 19:4-6] (emphasis added).

It is important to see marriage as something that God has joined together, and not something that man joins together. Marriage is a holy occasion. It is the blessed union of one man to one woman, two people who have chosen to follow after God's eternal purpose of creating a family, of "being fruitful and multiplying," of "filling the earth and subduing it" [Genesis 1:28]. It is not something to be taken lightly - and that is the message to those of us who are not yet married. There is a common saying among Christians that marriage takes three. It is true in every way, because marriage is more than an expression of love; it is the establishment of a family. Family is what God is all about. He loves it so much that He has three Persons within Himself. Being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from the alpha, He has the most experience out of all of us, and He knows what it takes to make a family stand - the secret is Himself. We all know that a life apart from God is futile. The same applies to relationships. God created us to worship Him, and even in our relationships we glorify the Father.

That is why marriage is such a serious matter. Again, it is not something to be entered into lightly. We must be careful to abstain from the "So What?" generation, from the attitude that makes apathy fashionable, deceiving us until we are vomited from the mouth of God (see Revelation 3:16). Some call it tolerance, but we are not to tolerate sin. We are to admonish one another, not to bring about shame, but repentance (see 2 Thessalonians 3:14,15). God is faithful to forgive; if He was not, then teaching would be pointless. But He does forgive, and when He lives in us we are His body, including His eyes. We are not to be blind to the sins around us, but to spot it and use our arms to extend God's love toward those who are lost, broken, alone, and most importantly confused. We can show the truth to those who are despondent, the truth that Jesus taught in Matthew 5 and 19. And our message to those who are saved from sin will be to them the very power of God [1 Corinthians 1:18]. Live your life as God has called you, that the world may be saved.

God bless,
Alisha