Marriage was established and blessed by God in the Garden of Eden and the scriptures give man free choice regarding the decision to marry. The Apostle Paul, who was unmarried, encouraged Christians to consider doing the same. "I wish that all people were as I am." He reasoned that an unmarried person is able to devote 100 percent of his time and opportunities to serving the Lord. How do you know which one to choose?
In many ways we are daily in a fight for our lives. There are so many choices that present themselves to us each and every day, many of which can distract and derail us from what is most important. The biggest factor that determines whether we stay on track with life or go down some rabbit hole of distraction and disruption is simply...me. Yup, I am the decision maker - the gatekeeper of my own mind and body - and I alone have final say as to what kind of victory or what kind of defeat I will experience. Now, wait a minute! As a Christian shouldn’t I be subject to the will of God through Christ? Absolutely! Then why am I saying that I am in control? It’s simple! I decide how much influence the will of God will exercise in my life at any given moment and that makes ME my worst enemy! Great! Now what do we do? What do we do? We learn how to identify, fight and win the battle!
“The best things in life are free.” That certainly can be true, but as always there is more to the story. Take love - the love that is between a husband and a wife as a for instance. While this love certainly should be free – freely given and freely received, it does have a maintenance schedule attached to it. Funny thing is, we never hear much about love’s maintenance schedule as it can be difficult, demanding and even daunting. The good news is that if we stick with the schedule, the results will literally last a lifetime and the love that we were freely given will have become a most valuable admired and cherished part of our lives! So, how do we get there? How do we learn what to do and how to do it so our love will last a lifetime?
Love, marriage, tradition and happiness. As time goes on, these four timeless elements of our world seem to be drifting ever further apart from each other. It is almost as if we are at a point where we are not really sure what to believe in or how to believe in it. Well, stay with us because on this program, we are going to look at the tradition – the godly institution of marriage as a proven vehicle that carries with it love and happiness…love and happiness! Isn’t that what we all want?
Friday was the day to celebrate love! Valentine’s day! From the little candy hearts that say “Be Mine” to the big box of chocolates, from the gifts and the cards to the dinners out and the special time together, it was a day of appreciation, a day of expression and a day to be perhaps more vulnerable than normal – not to mention a day that retailers live for! So, what is love – what is marriage? Do they still go together like a…you know…So, how are we doing these days with love – not just with one day of celebrating, but with our everyday living in love?
Coming up this Thursday is a day to celebrate love and relationships. It is a day of chocolates, flowers, dinners out, cards, hugs and kisses. Yep, Valentine's Day! A day for saying "I love you" to that special person. But is it a day to celebrate marriage? Is that old stogy institution of marriage even relevant anymore? Shouldn't we just move forward - you know, modern times? Stay with us as we focus on love and marriage - that's right - marriage! It is the oldest and best God-given institution that the human race has ever had the privilege to celebrate!
It has been 2,000 years since Jesus walked the earth with the good tidings of the Gospel. When he finished his work, he left the infant religion of Christianity in the faithful hands of the twelve Apostles. These men “prospered and grew” Christianity. So 2,000 years later, in a world that is mostly non-Christian and largely secular, is the work of the Gospel still “prospering and growing?" Are we now achieving what our Lord Jesus set out for us to do? Stay with us as we look at the cold hard facts of Christianity in the world today.
Two weeks ago, on New Year’s morning, we did the first part of this program and laid out the importance of getting our thoughts and attitudes right in order to be able to execute the kind of changes we want to have stick in our lives. Thoughts and attitudes – they are the internal part of the equation. The second part – the external part - are our words and actions which not only hold a direct link to thoughts and attitudes, but they are also the barometer by which we are judged by those around us. Stay with us as we look into the life-altering power of words and the world-shaking power of actions!
(Part 1 of a 2-part series) Happy New Year! Another year in the books – for some of us, we may look back and think “I’m glad that’s over!” For others we may look back and think, “I’m glad that happened!” For all of us, I hope we look forward with hope and anticipation for God’s will and blessing in this new year. As we begin 2012, let’s take some time and talk about what it takes to make the kind of changes in our lives that will actually be meaningful and hopefully permanent steps forward towards a more effective life as a child of God.
Ah, Valentine's Day! That day when everyone celebrates LOVE!! The fact of the matter is that one in two marriages end in divorce and countless other “live in” relationships fall apart as well. This translates into a dismal fact – MOST people are less than happy in their relationship. Why? What is missing in all of these broken unions? Are romance and reality compatible in our day? Do people really fall in love? Can we find our own happily ever after? Stay with us as we talk about love, marriage, reality and the Bible!
