“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” Genesis 2:24-25 (ESV).
Ah, so you have fallen in love and simply cannot live without each other. Wonderful! What a grand celebration the wedding. Before God, family and friends, with glazed over eyes you and the love of your life commit to love, honor, cherish,…’til death do you part. But do you really mean it?
Being married is so much more than just a grand celebration and honeymoon. Being married is a commitment to forsake all others, even self, putting your spouse’s needs at the top of your priority list for the rest of your life. As you exchanged rings, sealing your commitment with a kiss, with God, family and friends as your witnesses, those vows were not a contractual agreement, but thankfully a covenant, a covenant for life.
Contractual agreements are strictly business agreements. These signed documents are a quiet yet loud way of saying we will, if we deem necessary, pursue our legal options against each other. In truth, the bottom line reasoning behind a contractual business agreement is monetary. In bygone days a handshake was sufficient to create a contractual agreement between business partners to indicate our spoken words would be kept. Just as a side note, reading chapter four of the book of Ruth, in order for Boaz to buy all that belonged to Naomi as well as take Ruth as his wife, in front of witnesses the kinsman-redeemer (with first right of refusal) took off his sandal, giving it to Boaz. Unfortunately, a trusted handshake is somehow no longer adequate, any more than the exchanging of sandals.
Sadly, too often our wedding vows have been reduced to nothing more than a contractual agreement with the prenuptial agreement escape clause attached. And, even if there isn’t a premarital agreement, we have reduced our commitment to either the option of staying within the marriage in name only, to seeking the legal escape of filing for divorce. Why? Didn’t we mean what we said? Didn’t we take seriously the responsibility of unconditionally loving our spouse, committing to each other and to God, to keep what’s between us and God between us and God? Didn’t we understand what our vows truly meant?
Not for a second am I saying marriage is easy any more than I would say life is always easy. Whether marriage and life are easy or not, is simply not the point. Truth be told, should your marriage be easy, very likely you and your spouse are missing out on the wonderful opportunities only discovered when the couple navigates through not just the good times, but especially the difficult times of life together. This is what a committed covenant marriage is about and how, over the course of a lifetime, it is created. No other relationship exists which can compare, ever.
While we may not truly grasp the depth of our commitment as we lovingly and naively yet sincerely recite our wedding vows, it is this commitment which allows a deep trust, knowing we will never turn our backs on each other despite the unknown future which most certainly lies ahead. This is what wedding vows are all about and how marital bliss develops. This is the deep peace which can only be discovered by those who truly are committed to loving the most important person in their life, ’til death do we part. This is true love and this is wedded bliss.
Photo Credit: Michelle Statler
Hope you enjoyed reading this post and will consider sharing your thoughts, following me on social media and subscribing to my blog.
“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” I Peter 3:13-18 (ESV).
“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your treprasses.
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”
What if you received a personal invitation to spend the evening dining with Jesus Christ? And could ask Him all those questions no one else seems to be able to sufficiently answer? Would His responses open your ‘Doubting Thomas’ eyes?
“…Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” John 20:25 (ESV).
Jefferson Moore and Shane Sooter have adapted David Gregory’s novel “Dinner With a Perfect Stranger” creating a thought-provoking film meant to dispel each and every doubt the world has, not to mention those the cynical, the nominal or ‘in name only’ Christian may have as well.
Jefferson Moore steps into the character of Jesus Christ as He spends the evening dining with Nikki, a perfectly put together, in control, and successful by all the world’s standards career woman, wife and mother, yet who has built up anger, even hostility, due to her assuming childhood tragedies were all proof God didn’t really care. So why did she need God? More importantly, why did she need Jesus Christ in her life?
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” Revelations 3:20 (ESV).
Should you be blessed with the opportunity of spending an evening dining alone with Jesus Christ, what would you ask Him? As the evening came to a close, would He still seem a perfect stranger to you? Would your heart soften? More importantly, would you choose to believe?
“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'” John 20:28-29 (ESV).
Photo Credit: Vicki Nunn
Hope you enjoyed reading this post and will consider sharing your thoughts, following me on social media and subscribing to my blog.
Do you know for sure where your Bible is? Is it dust covered from lack of use? Do you open it and point to a ‘roulette’ scripture only when feeling overwhelmed by life’s circumstances?
The Bible is God’s spoken word written for our edification. The Bible is His guide book, His compass, His love letter to His children. The Bible is our spiritual food source to be nourished by on a daily basis in order to help us successfully navigate our way through the ups and downs of life.
“Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path” Psalm 119:105 (NASV).
“Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” Proverbs 30:5 (NASV).
“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” Proverbs 30:5 (ESV).
“I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word” Psalm 119:107 (KJV).
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light” Matthew 11:28-30 (NASV).
What is GPS? The Bible: God’s Positioning System.
Photo Credit: congerdesign
Hope you enjoyed reading this post and will consider sharing your thoughts, following me on social media and subscribing to my blog.
![Dinner With a Perfect Stranger](http://<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="top"><a href="https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1214150&item_no=730093"><img border height="108" src="https://ag.christianbook.com/dg/product/cbd/b108/730093.gif" alt="730093: Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering" width="108" /></a></td> <td valign="top"><b><a href="https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1214150&item_no=730093">Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering</a></b><br> By David Gregory / WaterBrook<br> <br>Cincinnati businessman Nick Cominsky is startled when his dinner companion claims to be Jesus. Yet, over the next few hours, Nick is amazed by how much this man knows and how deeply he cares about Nick's successful, yet unsatisfying life. Will Nick mark this night up to "strange coincidence" and carry on with his life or will he be eternally changed by this encounter? </td> </tr> </table>){kind=link}