2008-02-29
Good Morning Dear Ones,
It's hard to believe that we actually have a remedy for the breakdown of the family unit in today's society, but it is being largely ignored. The remedy begins with Christ's words in MT 6: 33, "Instead [of worrying about basic needs], be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things." God has shown us all over the Bible what His will for us is. MICAH 6: 8, "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord requires of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." I'm realistic enough to understand that there is no quick fix for the unrighteous decisions that certain segments of our society make. But God loves us and won't abandon those who are wise enough to turn to Him at each challenge along the way. PS 9: 9-10, "The Lord is a Refuge for the oppressed, a Place of Safety in times of trouble. Those who know You, Lord, will trust you; You do not abandon anyone who comes to You." People who make poorly conceived relationships with others aren't turning to God; they are relying on themselves or on other people. And yet God is always there to help them out of their misery, if they will turn to Him. PS 40: 1-2, "I waited patiently for the Lord's help; then He listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a Rock and made me secure." Our Lord guides us to righteousness if we turn to Him and submit to His direction. PS 31: 3-5, "You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God."
How can we make building God's Kingdom on earth if we are refusing to make commitments, jumping into one sexual relationship after another with no thought to the consequences? Is the grand sexual passion enough to make a lasting marriage, if no other elements of friendship are present? Can there be stable unions, if people are not in a love relationship with God, with God as a Resident in their homes? If material wealth and money are the only reason for marriage, can it last? Can there be God's idea of righteousness if children, born out of wedlock, are subjected to a series of uncommitted relationships of their parents? These are just a few of the issues that confront our society. God has made His will for parenting children clear. DT 6: 5-7, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Never forget these commands that I am giving you today. Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working." Our Lord Jesus made His wishes concerning children clear too, in MK 10: 13-15, "Let the children come to Me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." This is powerful and worth our time in meditation.
True believers store up treasures in heaven [MT 6: 19-21], when they choose wholesome pursuits and thus, meet their potential human life's partners in places and ways that would please God. When they take time to know a person before getting married and not hold back from making a marriage covenant with the right partner when sufficient time has been taken, God is honored. When believers don't rush into marriages before they are mature enough to understand what marriage really entails, their chances of not being part of that awful 52 % of marriages that fail are much better. We must ask these questions in prayer. PS 15: 1-2, "Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart " We must understand that God's perspective is so much greater than our own [IS 55: 8-9]. That is why it is so crucial that we seek Him out often. We must remember Christ's words in LK 17: 21b, "The Kingdom of God is within you." Because our loving God never abandons us, we can not only get direction from Him, but we can also get encouragement to gain self-control and produce the other fruits of the Spirit [GAL 5: 22-23]. PS 24: 4-6 illuminates God's idea of integrity. "Who has the right to go up the Lord's hill? Who may enter His holy temple? Those who are pure in act and in thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises. The Lord will bless them and save them; God will declare them innocent." It is through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus and because of His Atonement [JN 3: 16; HE 8:12] that our sins are not only forgiven but they are forgotten. The question must be asked: Are we willing to have the faith and courage to make the choices that will lead to righteousness and please God?
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You today knowing we are in dire need of the benefits of our love relationship with You. You have taught us what faith is in HE 11: 1, "To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see," i.e. taking You at Your word. We cannot please you without faith, [HE 11: 6] "For whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and reward those who seek Him." Dearest Abba, we must understand that nothing we can do will bring what we want from You. You make this clear in EPH 2: 8-10, "For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the results of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do." Having said all of that, we must also understand that one facet of our part of the Covenant of Grace is to work toward bettering our society and preventing the breakdown of family units. We must look carefully for the opportunities that You give us to witness to others to our faith in You. Sometimes, we can do that by word of mouth. More often we do that by the example of integrity and righteousness we set in the way we life our lives and serve You. This matter of turning to You often is crucial to us being successful in setting the right kind of example, the kind that pleases and serves You. You care enough about us to give us this promise, in JER 29: 11-13. "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which You hope. Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart." You protect us, as we learn in NH 1: 7, "The Lord is good; He protects His people in times of trouble; He takes care of those who turn to Him." Your immeasurable love for us is seen in COL 3: 9b-10, " For you have put off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in His own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of Himself." We offer You our loyalty, hearts open to Your direction, our desire to produce the fruits of the Spirit, our thanks for Your generosity when we are undeserving, and our praise for all You are and all You do. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Next week, the Holy Spirit has directed me to write about worrying. This is a topic that hits close to home with me, because the propensity for doing this is a troubling problem. Our God wants each of us to be eager to take His direction and to know His constant love first-hand. We can even pray to Him about that. PS 25; 4-5, "Teach me Your ways, O Lord; make them known to me. Teach me to live according to Your truth, for You are my God, Who saves me. I always trust in You." PS 33: 22, "Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in You alone." There is no human being who can help us to solve society's problems better than the Lord. Believe it that He cares about every detail of our lives and is always on the job to be there for us. We aren't able to change the Lord's plan, but we can be sure that the Lord Jesus "will be with us till the end of the age" [MT 28: 20b]. When we have faith in Him, we are not told we won't have challenges to face in our lives. But we can understand that He limits the challenges, so that they won't break our spirits but will maximize His ability to strengthen us in our faith. Because of His presence in our lives, we can expect inner peace that can only come from Him. Under the circumstances, we must offer God our praise and gratitude. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn