2018-02-02
1 Corinthians 7:10 NLT
Having God’s blessing on your marriage is contingent upon your operating according to His rules. To enjoy His protection, peace, and prosperity you must follow His instructions. For example, you can spend hours arguing and still not resolve the issue, when if you’d just followed God’s rules, the argument could have been over in a matter of minutes. And both parties would have been satisfied at the end of the process. When your car breaks down, you take it back to the dealership. Why? Because they sold it to you and they know how to fix it! God performed the first marriage. So when your relationship gets into trouble, if you’re wise you’ll talk to Him about it before talking to each other. Furthermore, when you get married with the attitude, “If this doesn’t work out I can always get a divorce,” you’re running in the opposite direction from the truth of God’s Word. Paul writes: “For those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife” (vv. 10-11 NLT). Yes, there are some acceptable reasons for divorce, but they are the exception and not the rule! Recently a Hollywood celebrity spent millions of dollars on her wedding and then divorced her husband two months later on the grounds of “incompatibility.” When you say, “Till death us do part,” you say it before God and you’re supposed to mean it.
Soul food: Num 11-13; Matt 11:20-30; Ps 107:17-22; Prov 3:21-24
2017-10-25
1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT
For any relationship to work, we must accept each other’s differences. Within our family we must respect each other’s unique perspectives. We don’t need to agree on every issue, but we must always honor where the other person is coming from. Paul did that: “I try to find common ground with everyone.” Some of us who claim to follow Christ have a hard time with views and values that differ from our own. We think “compromise” is a dirty word. Some of us have turned from the most immoral lives to faith in Christ, yet after our conversion we won’t associate with anyone who doesn’t agree with us and adopt our newfound values. Sometimes our families fall apart because we try to force our opinions on the people we love, and set boundaries to keep nonconformists out. What a terrible misuse of Christianity! Jesus didn’t condemn the people who crucified Him; He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 NKJV). He didn’t view them as morally bad, but spiritually blind. He told His disciples, “No one can come to Me unless the Father…draws him” (John 6:44 NKJV). It’s your job to love people, and it’s God’s job to change them! So stop trying to do what only God can do! If you invest patiently in your relationships, respect other people’s perspectives, and sow good seed, you’ll reap a pleasant harvest in the long term. Your love, not the force of your argument, can give hope to the most severely damaged among us that there’s healing for the broken places of the human soul.
Soul food: Isa 17-21; John 6:1-15; Ps 127; Prov 27:25-27
2017-07-03
Colossians 3:14 CEV
If you’re the kind of person who harbours grudges and holds on to past mistakes, even your own, you know what it feels like to be weighed down by mental junk. It’s hard for a relationship to survive when neither party has processed what happened in the past. Like blame, mental junk keeps you stuck. For example, if an old beau has hurt you and you’ve never let go of it, every time your mate does something similar it’s likely you’ll react with unwarranted fervour, as if he or she was the original person who hurt you. When this happens, your mate is left feeling upset and confused by your over-the-top reaction to a minor infraction that on the surface appears insignificant. Just as you clean house to get rid of physical junk, you need to keep your mental, emotional, and spiritual house clean and in order. Praying, reading, counselling, journaling, meditation, and exercise are all good ways to help ensure that past issues don’t seep into your current relationships. And when they do come up from time to time, it’s best to talk to the people you’re in relationship with. Just be sure to do it in kindness, truth, and honesty. The old adage – “Love means never having to say ‘I’m sorry'” – is wrong! A more scriptural motto for keeping mental and emotional junk in the trash where it belongs, is: “Don’t go to bed angry” (Ephesians 4:26 GWT). The Bible says, “Be gentle, kind…meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love… ties everything completely together” (Colossians 3:12-14 CEV).
Soul food: 1 Sam 16-17; Mat 23:1-12; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 17:7-10
2017-07-01
Ephesians 4:16 NLT
Paul writes: “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body [church] is healthy and growing and full of love.” There are two kinds of growth – symbiotic growth and parasitic growth. Symbiotic growth is a give-and-take relationship in which both sides benefit. Parasitic growth is when one side feeds off another but gives nothing back. So when you come out of church and say, “I didn’t get anything out of that service,” you may be practicing parasitic growth. Parasitic growth is characterized by such words as “pray for me, preach to me, counsel me, help me, but expect nothing from me.” Symbiotic growth is characterized by such words as “yes, I have needs, but I’m willing to give too because everyone needs to benefit.” Your body is made up of systems. These include the nervous system, circulatory system, muscular system, lymphatic system, skeletal system, immune system, etc. These systems rely on one another. They are interdependent. So when one of them goes down, the rest of the body is negatively impacted by it. Instead of saying, “I’m going to church,” remind yourself, “I am the church.” Paul writes: “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ…and God has put each part just where he wants it” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 18 NLT). God wants you to be a fully functioning part of His church. And if you’re not sure what your “part” is, ask Him and He will show you.
Soul food: 1 Sam 14-15; Mat 22:34-46; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 17:4-6
