THE MARRIAGE COVENANT

THE MARRIAGE COVENANT: A BIBLICAL STUDY ON MARRIAGE. THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE Marriage is not a human institution devised in the dim past of human history as a convenient way to sort out social responsibilities. If marriage were a human invention, then different types of marriage could have equal value. Polygamy, the taking of several wives, may serve an agricultural society better than an industrialized society; polyandry, the sharing of a wife by several husbands, may prove to be more efficient and economical in a highly technological society. Monogamy, the lifelong union of one man to one woman, would have no more intrinsic value than any other type of marriage. Some could legitimately argue that monogamy has served its purpose as the ideal norm of society and should now be replaced by serial monogamy, the taking of a succession of husbands and wives. In fact, for many today the latter better satisfies the quest for greater self-fulfillment and gratification. A Divine Institution. The Bible presents marriage as a divine institution. If marriage were of human origin, then human beings would have a right to decide the kind of marital relationships to choose. Marriage, however, began with God. It was established by God at the beginning of human history when He "created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1). As the Creator of marriage, God has the right to tell us which principles should govern our marital relationships. If God had left us no instructions about marriage after establishing it, then marriage could be regulated according to personal whims. But He has not left us in the dark. In His revelation contained in the pages of the Bible, God has revealed His will regarding the nature and function of marriage. As Christians who choose to live in accordance with God’s will, we must study and respect those Biblical principles governing marriage, divorce, and remarriage. In some instances, the laws of a state regarding marriage, divorce and remarriage ignore or even violate the teachings of the Bible. In such cases, as Christians, "we must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Objectives of this lesson. This lesson seeks to help the reader understand the Biblical view of marriage by examining three specific themes: (1) The creation of woman, (2) The institution of marriage, and (3) Marriage as a sacred covenant. The last part looks into the Old Testament teachings of the prophets and the New Testament teachings of Jesus and Paul regarding marriage. The study will show that Scripture consistently upholds marriage as a sacred and permanent covenant, established and witnessed by God Himself. The study closes urging the reader to recover the Biblical view of marriage as a sacred covenant to counteract the secularization of marriage in our society today. PART I: THE CREATION OF WOMAN No newspaper reporter was present to observe the creation of this universe and the celebration of the first marriage. God alone tells us how it all began in the brief account of Genesis 1-2. As the crown and culmination of His creative work, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen 1:27). This fundamental text reveals three things. First, the first human couple originated not from an evolutionary process, but through divine creation. Second, man, which, as the parallelism indicates, is the generic name inclusive of "male and female," was fashioned in the image of God. This involves moral, rational and spiritual faculties rather than gender likeness, since God transcends male/female distinctions. It may also include the capacity of a man and a woman to experience a oneness of fellowship similar to the one existing in the Trinity. Third, man was created as a sexual being, consisting of a male and a female counterpart. This means that though men and women are sexually and functionally different, they enjoy equal dignity and importance before God. The Need for Companionship. In the creation account, God repeatedly recognizes that His creation was good (Gen 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31). The only thing that God acknowledges to be "not good" is the incomplete creation of man as a single being: "Then God said: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’" (Gen 2:20). At this point creation was still incomplete. With man alone there could be no procreation, and more important yet, no possibility for him to experience the kind of intimate relationship existing within the Godhead. To be human means more than to be male or female. It means to be able to enjoy an intimate rational and spiritual fellowship. To rectify the "not good" situation, God declares, "I will make him a helper fit for him" (Gen 2:18). A Suitable Helper. God designed woman to be man’s suitable helper, or literally, "a helper agreeing to him." Eve was created to be Adam’s other half approximating him in every point and making the marriage union a complete whole. She was not created to be man’s slave, but rather his helper. The word "helper" (’ezer) is used in the Bible also for God as the helper of the needy (Ps 33:20; 146:5), thus it does not imply that woman is an inferior being. She is equal in nature and worth, reflecting the same divine image (Gen 1:27). Yet she is different in function, serving as a supportive helper. We shall consider in chapter 4 the importance of respecting the creational role distinctions to ensure harmonious relationships in the home and in the church. Woman was created to be man’s counterpart, agreeing with him mentally, physically and spiritually, making him a larger person than he would have been alone, bringing into his life a new feminine perspective he would not have known otherwise. The same holds true for man. He brings to his wife a masculine perspective that enlarges her life, making her a more complete person than she could be without him. Thus, a marriage union not only fills the need for companionship, but it enables a man and a woman to become fuller, more complete persons. The Single Life. God’s evaluation of the single life as "not good" (Gen 2:18) appears to be contradicted by Christ’s statement that "there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it" (Matt 19:11-12). A similar thought is expressed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:7 where in speaking of his single lifestyle he says: "I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another" (1 Cor 7:7). These two texts (Matt 19:11-12; 1 Cor 7:7) suggest that God has singled out some people to lead lives of celibacy for the sake of His kingdom. How then can God give the gift of celibacy to some while affirming at the same time, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Gen 2:18)? The resolution to this apparent contradiction is to be found in recognizing that God has made an exception to His own general principle. Because of the social distortions and crises brought about by sin and because of the urgent demand upon the church to advance the cause of His kingdom, God has equipped some persons with the capacity of leading fulfilling single lives. The exact nature of the gift of celibacy is never fully explained in the Scripture. Presumably it consists in the capacity to find companionship, though of a different kind, outside of marriage, by becoming deeply involved in the mission of the church in ways married persons cannot (see 1 Cor 7:32-34). According to Christ, "He who is able to receive this, let him receive it" (Matt 19:12). Those who have been granted the special gift of single service for Christ’s kingdom, must prepare for it and pursue it. To determine whether a person has the gift of leading a single life for Christ’s kingdom, it is necessary to apply the two tests suggested by Matthew 19:12 and 1 Corinthians 7:8,9: (1) Am I able to contain my sexual urges? and (2) Do I find satisfaction and companionship in the work of God’s kingdom? Single Christians who have been granted the special gift of single service for Christ’s kingdom ought not to be looked down upon nor neglected by married Christians. Rather, they ought to be honored for their willingness to accept God’s call to make the advancement of His kingdom the primary purpose of their lives. After all, we do not look down on Paul for choosing a single life in order to be able to serve Christ more fully and more freely. The Provision of Woman. The way God chose to create the first bride is most significant. Unlike the rest of creation and of man himself, God formed Eve not from "the dust of the ground" (Gen 2:7) but from the very man who was to become her husband, by utilizing one of his ribs (Gen 2:21). The significance of the manner of Eve’s creation, though not explicitly expressed, can hardly be missed. Eve was not made out of Adam’s head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be his equal, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved. As Adam beheld with sleepy eyes the most beautiful creature of God’s creation, he declared with ecstatic excitement: "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (Gen 2:23). Adam’s rejoicing was motivated by the discovery of the person who completed his incompleteness. His hunger for wholeness stemmed from the fact that God made him a male with the need for a female companion. God made Adam incomplete without Eve from the beginning. The manner in which God created Adam and Eve reveals God’s design that there should be male and female. Each of them needs the other for self-fulfillment. Each of them should accept his or her sexual and functional roles as given by God. This means that efforts to promote sexual or functional role interchangeability between men and women represent a violation of the role distinctions established by God at creation. True completeness and self-realization can be found not by transcending our sexual or functional roles but rather by fulfilling our different and yet complementary roles. PART II: THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE After Adam expressed his excitement at the sight of Eve and exercised his authority by naming her, God united them in holy matrimony, saying: "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh" (Gen 2:24). This foundational statement about marriage is repeated three times in the Bible: First, by Jesus in the context of His teachings on divorce (Matt 19:5; Mark 10:7,8) and then by Paul to illustrate the relationship of Christ to His church (Eph 5:31). Marriage as a Covenant. The very first description of the nature of marriage in the Bible, as consisting of leaving, cleaving and becoming one flesh (Gen 2:24), reveals the Biblical understanding of marriage as a covenant relationship. This meaning of marriage as a covenant of companionship is expressed more explicitly later in Scripture in such passages as Malachi 2:14: "The Lord was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant."1 Being a sacred covenant, human marriage serves in the Old and New Testaments as the prism through which God reveals His covenant relationship with His people and Christ with His church. To appreciate the Biblical view of marriage as a sacred covenant, it is helpful to distinguish between a contract and a covenant. Paul E. Palmer offers a helpful clarification of the difference between the two: "Contracts engage the services of people; covenants engage persons. Contracts are made for a stipulated period of time; covenants are forever. Contracts can be broken, with material loss to the contracting parties; covenants cannot be broken, but if violated, they result in personal loss and broken hearts. . . . Contracts are witnessed by people with the state as guarantor; covenants are witnessed by God with God as guarantor."2 In light of this understanding of a covenant as a permanent commitment, witnessed and guaranteed by God, let us examine the three components of the marriage covenant mentioned in Genesis 2:24: leaving, cleaving, and becoming one flesh. Leaving. The first step in establishing a marriage covenant is leaving all other relationships, including the closest ones of father and mother: "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother" (Gen 2:24). Of course, leaving does not mean the abandonment of one’s parents. The responsibility to "Honor your father and mother" (Ex 20:12) is applied by Jesus to adults (Mark 7:6-13). We do not evade our responsibility toward our parents as they grow old. Jesus scorned the hypocrisy of those who gave to the Temple the money they had set aside for their parents (Mark 7:9-13). As adults, however, we assume responsibility for our parents rather than to them. The Bible never suggests that married couples should sever their ties with their parents, but that they must "let go" of their former lives as sons and daughters in order to cement their relationships as husbands and wives. What "leaving" means is that all lesser relationships must give way to the newly formed marital relationship. A leaving must occur to cement a covenant relationship of husband and wife. This principle of leaving applies likewise to our covenant relationship with God. It is said of the disciples that "they left everything and followed Him" (Luke 5:11).3 Leaving is not always easy. It is often hard for a baby to leave his mother’s womb. It may look cruel to see a doctor cut the umbilical cord which binds the baby to the mother. Yet, it is necessary for the growth and development of the baby. It is also hard for children to leave their parents and for parents to let their children go, for example, to a school away from home. Just as babies cannot grow physically unless they leave their mother’s womb and just as children cannot receive an education unless they leave home to go to school, similarly a marriage cannot mature unless both partners are willing to leave their parents in order to cement a new marital relationship and establish a new family. Aspects of Leaving. There are men and women who fail to build strong covenant marriages because they are still "tied to their mother’s apron strings," or they are not willing "to leave" their attachment to their parents, jobs, advanced education, sports, past lives, friends, or even church work, in order to establish strong marital relationships. Leaving involves not only leaving behind our positions as dependent children, but also ending our financial dependence upon our parents. The couple who never learns to stand financially on its own feet will have difficulty in developing their future plans independently. We must also leave behind our parental authority. Possessive, interfering parents can threaten the best marriages. While parental counsel must always be respected, parents’ efforts to interfere in the private lives of their married children must be firmly resisted. Leaving also involves learning to abandon some of our parents’ attitudes and influences. This is not always easy since we are largely the product of our upbringing. The process of adjustment to a new marital relationship requires that we learn to distinguish between what is fundamental and what is incidental to our past upbringing, being willing to leave behind the latter for the health and growth of our marriages. Perhaps the most difficult things to leave behind are the inner wounds and hurts of our childhoods. We come to our marriages with the good and bad emotional experiences of the first two decades of our lives. Through the healing power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the past wounds that can infect our marital relationships. The love of Jesus and the encouragement of our spouse can set us free from our pasts and enable us to be the understanding partners God wants us to be. So the first principle we derive from the divine institution of marriage recorded in Genesis 2:24 is as follows: To establish a thrilling "one flesh" marriage covenant, we must be willing to leave all lesser relationships. Cleaving. The second essential component of a marriage covenant is cleaving: "Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife" (Gen 2:24). A leaving must occur before a cleaving can take place. This process reveals divine wisdom. A man and a woman must leave all lesser relationships for the purpose of cleaving, that is, cementing their new relationship and establishing a new home. "Cleaving" reflects the central concept of covenant-fidelity. The Hebrew word for "cleave" dabaq, suggests the idea of being permanently glued or joined together. It is one of the words frequently used to express the covenant commitment of the people to God: "You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve him and cleave to Him" (Deut 10:20; cf. 11:22; 13:4; 30:20). The word is used to describe Ruth’s refusal to leave her mother-in-law Naomi: "Ruth clave unto her" (Ruth 1:14 AV). In the sight of God, cleaving means wholehearted commitment which spills over to every area of our being. It means to be permanently glued together rather than temporarily taped together. You can separate two pieces of wood taped together, but you cannot separate without great damage two pieces of wood glued together. In fact, two pieces of wood glued together become not only inseparable, but also much stronger than if they were taped together. Cleaving involves unswerving loyalty to one’s marital partner. Note that man is to cleave to "his wife." This excludes marital unfaithfulness. A man cannot be glued to his wife and flirt or engage in sexual intercourse with another woman. The two are mutually exclusive. In a marriage covenant, cleaving does not allow the "freedom to leave" when the relationship is no longer satisfying. If the "freedom to leave" is retained as a real option, it will hinder the total effort to develop a marital relationship characterized by covenant faithfulness. As marriage counselor Ed Wheat observes, "Keeping divorce as an escape clause indicates a flaw in your commitment to each other, even as a tiny crack that can be fatally widened by the many forces working to destroy homes and families."4 Accepting the Biblical standard of cleaving means asking ourselves when contemplating marriage: Am I prepared to make a lifetime commitment to my prospective spouse, for better or for worse till death do us part? Once married, cleaving means to ask ourselves: Will this action, word, decision, or attitude draw us closer together or further apart? Will it build up or tear down our relationship? For a Christian committed to living by the principles of God’s word, any course of action which weakens the cleaving must be regarded as contrary to God’s design for a marriage covenant. Many today scorn the idea of developing a close dependent relationship between husband and wife. They claim that it restricts their freedom and stifles their personal growth. What they advocate can be characterized as a "married singles" lifestyle where both partners continue to follow their independent lives while sharing the same roof and bed. It is not surprising that such marriages often fail, since there is no willingness to leave selfish considerations in order to cleave to each other "for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health." Summing up, we can state the second principle derived from the divine institution of marriage recorded in Genesis 2:24 as follows: To maintain a thrilling "one flesh" marriage covenant we must be willing to cleave to our marital partners, avoiding any thought, word, or action that could weaken our loyalty and commitment to them. Becoming One Flesh. The third essential ingredient of a marriage covenant is that "they become one flesh" (Gen 2:24). Note the progression: leaving, cleaving, and becoming one flesh. As husband and wife leave lesser relationships and learn to cleave to one another, they become a new entity, "one flesh." The phrase "one flesh" needs some explanation because it is frequently misunderstood to refer primarily to the sexual union. The phrase is closely parallel to our English compound word everybody. When we speak of everybody we do not think of bodies only. Rather, we mean every person. Or when God speaks of destroying all flesh (Gen 6:17; 7:21), obviously He does not mean all the flesh without the bones, but every person. Similarly, to become "one flesh" (Gen 2:24) means to become one functioning unit. H. C. Leupold explains that becoming one flesh "involves the complete identification of one personality with the other in a community of interests and pursuits, a union consummated in intercourse."5 No theologian or scientist has ever yet explained how two people are able to so interpenetrate one another’s lives that they become "one flesh," that is, one functioning unit. Yet we know that it happens! Couples who have been married for many years start to think, act, and feel as one; they become one in mind, heart and spirit. This is why divorce is so devastating. It leaves not two persons, but two fractions of one. The phrase "one flesh" does also refer to the physical or sexual aspect of marriage. Paul explicitly uses the phrase in this way when speaking of sexual intercourse between a man and a harlot (1 Cor 6:16). Sexual intercourse per se, however, does not automatically assure that a man and a woman become one in a mystical, emotional, and spiritual unity. Genital intercourse without spiritual communion often leaves people divided, alienated, and bitter toward each other. Thus, sexual intercourse itself does not bring aboutreal oneness. To achieve the Biblical "one flesh" union, sexual intercourse in marriage must be the natural fruit of love, the crowning act of marital union. If sex is not the expression of genuine love, respect, and commitment, then it offers only a physical contact while keeping the partners mentally and spiritually apart. Sexual desire must become the desire for the total union and oneness of body, soul, and spirit between marital partners. Gradual Process. A man and a woman who come together in marriage do not automatically become "one flesh" when they exchange their marriage vows. Their personalities are still free, independent and desiring assertive of their respective wills. But as they live together as husband and wife, they realize that they must safeguard their individuality while striving to become one. They must not allow their differences to divide them but must learn to accept their differences, viewing them not as antagonistic but as complementary. They can still be themselves and yet come into unity. The husband learns to accept his wife as she is because he needs to be accepted as he is. Their differences contribute to achieving their oneness because they are accepted as being complementary and not contradictory. The becoming of "one flesh" is beautifully exemplified in the children of a married couple. In their children, husband and wife are indissolubly united into one person. What happens biologically in children occurs psychologically in a husband/wife relationship as the two gradually become "one flesh," a new functioning unity. This is why extra-marital sexual relationships are not only immoral but also destructive to the one-flesh relationship. Continuity. Becoming "one flesh" also implies continuity. We cannot become one flesh with a succession of husbands and wives. This is why the modern practice of serial monogamy must be rejected as immoral: it defeats the Biblical purpose of marriage which is to develop a permanent "one flesh" relationship. The "one flesh" principle excludes polygamy and extra-marital relationships of all kinds, because no man can become "one flesh" with more than one woman. The Old Testament persons who violated the "one flesh" principle by taking more than one wife paid the price for their transgressions. Problems of all kinds developed in their families as their wives became jealous or felt exploited, degraded, or hated. Summing up, the third principle we derive from the divine institution of marriage recorded in Genesis 2:24 is as follows: To become a "one flesh" functioning unit, husband and wife must learn to accept their differences as complementing their oneness and must reserve their sexual expressions exclusively for each other. PART III: MARRIAGE: A SACRED COVENANT The preceding study of the divine institution of marriage has shown that God intended marriage to be a sacred and permanent covenant. To appreciate more fully the Biblical view of marriage as a sacred and permanent covenant, we shall now consider briefly the teachings of the prophets, of Jesus and of Paul. The Covenant Concept. The concept of the covenant stands out in Scripture among all the signs and symbols used by God to reveal His saving grace. In His mercy, God chose to enter into a solemn covenant of love, not only with individuals such as Abraham, but also with the whole household of Israel. They did not deserve His love which He freely manifested toward them. God’s covenant of love, though not always reciprocated, is everlasting, extending from generation to generation: "The Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands" (Deut 7:7-9 NIV). To help His people understand and accept the unrelenting nature of His covenant of love, in the Old Testament God often used the metaphor of the husband/wife relationship. The obvious reason is that the marriage covenant, characterized by love, compassion, and faithfulness, fittingly exemplifies God’s covenant relationship with His people. A few examples will serve to illustrate this point. Hosea’s Marriage. In the final days of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, when they were threatened with extinction by the expansionist policies of the neighboring nations, God appealed to His wayward people through a succession of prophets. Among these was Hosea, who was told by God to marry a prostitute, Gomer, and raise a family by her. Through this experience, Hosea was to act out God’s unrelenting covenant of love to His people. When Gomer went after her lovers, Hosea was sent to take her back and love her again. Through Hosea’s marital experiences, God revealed Himself to Israel as a compassionate, forgiving husband: "In that day, says the Lord, you will call me, ‘my husband,’ . . . And I will betroth you to come to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord" (Hos 2:16, 19-20). By revealing Himself as a faithful, compassionate and unrelenting husband, God sets a pattern for the husband/wife relationship. What God does on a larger scale as Israel’s husband, a human husband is called to do on a smaller scale in his relationship with his wife. Later Prophets. The imagery of the marriage covenant is used by later prophets to remind the people of their covenant relationship with God. For example, Jeremiah reminded the people that God had entered into a covenant with them and had become their husband: "my covenant . . . they broke, though I was their husband" (Jer 31:32). Even though they had broken the covenant, God remained a faithful husband who would make a new covenant with His people, working to transform their hearts (Jer 33:33). The implication is clear. Marriage is a sacred covenant in which the husband and wife must be faithful to their commitment as God is faithful to his promise. Jeremiah’s message was ignored. Eventually Judah was captured by the Babylonians and all her leading citizens were taken into exile. There in exile, Ezekiel graphically portrays God’s unfailing love as that of a husband wooing and winning back an unfaithful wife: "When I looked upon you, behold, you were at the age for love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness; yea, I plighted my troth to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine. . . . But you trusted in your beauty, and played the harlot . . . Wherefore . . . I will judge you as women who break wedlock . . . I will deal with you as you have done, who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant" (Ez 16:8, 15, 38, 59). On a similar vein Isaiah describes the final restoration of Israel in terms of a loving husband forgiving and restoring his unfaithful wife: "Your Maker is your husband . . . For the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. . . with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer" (Is 54:5-8). The above examples suffice to show how the Old Testament prophets often describe God’s covenant relationship with His people in terms of an ever-loving, faithful husband who never tires of wooing back an unfaithful wife. This example of God as a faithful and loving husband reveals what God intends marriage to be: a sacred covenant where love and faithfulness prevail. Malachi’s Teaching. Malachi, one of the last Old Testament prophets, fittingly sums up the Old Testament view regarding the sacred and inviolable nature of the marriage covenant. In his time, the Jews were languishing in a ruined Jerusalem and lamenting that God no longer accepted their offerings. Malachi responded by pointing out that the cause of their suffering was to found in their unfaithfulness to God manifested especially through their unfaithfulness to their wives: "You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand. You ask, ‘Why does he not?’ Because the Lord was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant" (Mal 2:13-14). Here the Scripture tells us explicitly that marriage is a covenant to which God is a witness. Since God does not break covenants (Lev. 26:40-45), the marriage covenant is all the more binding. This means that what we do to our marital partner we do also to the Lord. Christian commitment and marital commitment are two sides of the same covenant. For this reason, Malachi admonishes the people, saying: "So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. ‘For I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel, and covering one’s garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts’" (Mal 2:15-16). Note that God hates divorce, not the divorcée. As Christians we should reflect Christ’s attitude of loving concern toward those who have suffered marital disaster (John 4:6-26) while at the same time upholding the Biblical imperative of the sacred and inviolable nature of the marriage covenant. Malachi admonishes the people that in the best interest of their families and communities they should not violate their marriage covenant by divorcing their wives. The reason is that divorce violates not only God’s original plan for marriage but also the marriage covenant to which the Lord is a witness. Divorce betrays life’s most intimate companion and as such is a grievous sin which God hates. Christ’s Teaching. Malachi’s teaching on the sacred nature of the marriage covenant was reiterated and expanded four centuries later by Christ Himself. In response to the Pharisees’ question regarding the concession of Moses regarding divorce, Christ pointed back to the institution of marriage, saying: "For your hardness of heart he [Moses] wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘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 they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder" (Mark 10:5-9). In this memorable statement Christ appeals to the divine institution of marriage (Gen 2:24) to point out that marriage is the strongest human bond that transforms two people into "one flesh." Moreover, Jesus affirms that God Himself is the one who actually joins a couple in marriage. This means that when Christian couples exchange their marital vows in the presence of witnesses, they are in actual fact uttering their vows of mutual commitment to God Himself. At the deepest level, marriage is a covenant between a couple and God, because God is not only the witness but also the author of the marriage covenant. A man and a woman marry by their own choice; but when they do, God joins them together into one permanent union. Because marriage is God’s indissoluble union of the couple, no human court or individual has the right to put it asunder. It is evident that for Jesus marriage is not a mere civil contract, but a divinely ordained union which God alone has power to establish and terminate. The full force of this truth was explained by Christ privately to His disciples in these terms: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery" (Mark 10:11-12). By this statement, Jesus declares unambiguously that the marriage covenant must not be violated by divorce and remarriage because it is a sacred inviolable bond. To do otherwise is to "commit adultery," a sin clearly condemned by God’s moral law (Ex 20:14; Deut. 5:18). With a few simple words Jesus refutes the view that divorce is a viable option for a married couple. The covenant structure of Following the teaching of Jesus, Paul affirms in different words that marriage is a lifelong and indissoluble covenant. In Romans 7:1-3, Paul sets forth the principle that death ends the marriage makes divorce an act of covenant breaking, a failure to keep a moral obligation. Paul’s Teaching. Dominion of the law and then illustrates the principle through the marriage relationship. The point of the illustration is that death and death alone releases a person from the bond of marriage: "A married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. Accordingly, she will be called an adulterous if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from the law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulterous" (Rom 7:2-3). Paul’s illustration sheds light on his view of marriage as a lifelong covenant which can be terminated only by death. The same teaching is presented by Paul again in 1 Corinthians 7:39 where he declares: "A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives." The covenantal nature of the marriage relationship is expressed by Paul again in Ephesians 5:31-32 where he uses the marriage union to illustrate the covenant relationship between Christ and His bride, the church: "‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.’ This is a great mystery, and I take it to mean Christ and the church." Just as the prophets in the Old Testament used the marriage covenant to portray the relationship between God and Israel, so Paul in the New Testament uses the marriage union to represent Christ’s covenant of sacrificial love and oneness with the church. Just as marriage unites two people when they commit their lives to each other, so the Gospel joins the believer to Christ as he trusts Him for his salvation. Since the marriage covenant represents the permanent relationship between Christ and His church, it must be permanent; otherwise it would be an inaccurate representation of the indissoluble relationship between Christ and His church. The use of marriage in the Old and New Testaments to reveal God’s covenant relationship with His people serves also to demonstrate what marriage today should be like. We may call this "reciprocal illumination." By revealing through human marriage His covenant of salvation, God has simultaneously revealed to us the unique meaning of marriage as a sacred and permanent covenant. CONCLUSION Our study of the divine institution of marriage and of the teachings of the prophets, Jesus and Paul, regarding marriage, has shown us how the Scripture consistently upholds marriage as a sacred and permanent covenant, witnessed and protected by God. We have found that as a sacred covenant, marriage was effectively used in the Old Testament to portray God’s relationship with Israel and in the New Testament to represent Christ’s relationship with His church. If God used marriage as a metaphor to represent His commitment to His people, He must surely have thought of it as a sacred, permanent covenant. The recovery of the Biblical view of marriage as a sacred and permanent covenant, witnessed and guaranteed by God Himself, is indispensable in counteracting the secularization of marriage. This trend has influenced many Christians to view marriage as a temporary social contract governed by civil laws, rather than as a permanent covenant, witnessed and guaranteed by God Himself. To counteract this trend, it is essential for Christians to recover and accept the Biblical view of marriage as a sacred covenant. The conviction that it is God who has united our lives in holy matrimony and who will help us to stay together will motivate us to persevere in preserving the unity of the marriage covenant.

A WORD FOR MARRIED COUPLS TO THINK ABOUT.

A WORD MARRIED COUPLES TO THINK ABOUT. These days marriage is under attack from the enemy like never before. There is a lot of abuse in marriage, but to those who think marriage if for life and would like to stay married, I request you to study these few scriptures with me. For any marriage to succeed, they need to do the following; 1. Philippians 2:5-7. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 2. John 13:2-5. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 3. Philippians 2:1-4. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 4. Ephesians 5:21. Submitting to one another in the fear of God. If all married couples should have the mind of Christ, learn to forgive our spouses even when we know their weakness, learn to value them and both of them submit to each other in the fear of the Lord, there will be less abuse in marriage and there will be no divorce. So brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” 1 Peter 1:13.

THE JOY OF USING THE THINGS OF GOD THE WAY HE CREATED THEM TO BE USED.

THE JOY OF USING THE THINGS OF GOD THE WAY HE CREATED THEM TO BE USED The Bible says in Genesis 1:31, “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” Have you ever seen the beauty of a sunset? Have you ever stopped to listen to the song of birds in springtime? Have you ever closed your eyes and let the cool breeze of autumn caress your face? Have you ever looked in the eyes of the one you love and seen that brilliant gleam, just like the glimmer of a midnight star? Then you know that God created a world of beauty and love; a world that in abundance declares how God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” If you want to walk through this life and be blessed then you must first turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. But even for the Christian, if you want to enjoy life and let the good creation of God fill your soul the way that God intended it to, then you must use the things of God in the way that they were intended to be used. Psalms 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” As sinners we can always rely upon the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. But to see the goodness and mercy of God in its fullest extent its necessary that we make our best efforts to do what is right and to have a Biblical perspective on the way that God created this world to function. One of the many wonderful and perhaps the most wonderful of God’s creations in this physical world is marriage. The Bible has many things to say concerning marriage. Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” God created everything in the world to be a certain way. And anything that goes contrary to the way that God created is an abomination and is utterly wicked. There are several truths about the way God designed marriage to be. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Marriage was designed by God to be a permanent life-long relationship. And any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage is sin. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” The fact that there are two distinct sexes is enough for us to realize that marriage is between one man and one woman. And we know that God intended marriage to be permanent because the Bible says in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave His father and His mother, and shall cleave unto His wife: and they shall be one flesh.” And Jesus said in Matthew 19:6, “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” But this paper is not being written to explain in detail what the Bible says about marriage but rather what the Bible says about divorce. Certainly, the most logical question then that you might ask is; if God intended marriage to be permanent then would God allow divorce? The Bible says in Song of Solomon 8:7, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” There are many good reasons to get married: for companionship and friendship, to have someone help you serve the Lord, to have children, and to satisfy your physical and emotional needs of love. These are all good reasons that God created for marriage. When you come to the Bible to see what God says about divorce you need to understand first what God intended marriage to be; a life-long relationship between a man and a woman. The Bible emphasizes marriage. The Bible emphasis many good reasons to get marriage and to stay married. Proverbs 18:22 says, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor with the Lord.” I Corinthians 7:9 says, “But if they cannot contain let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” And the Bible says in Proverbs 30:18-19, “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” Marriage is good. The Bible emphasizes that under most circumstances its good to get married. Marriage pleases God; as does anything in life that is used the way God created it to be. And one of the basic secrets to being happy in this life is to simply take the things that God created and use them the way that He created them to be used, for His glory. The joy of companionship, the strength that is found in love, the poetic way that two halves become whole in personality and emotionally, the blessing of sharing the deepest parts of who you are, with another person, the pleasures and satisfaction of sex, and the great rewards, joys and inheritance of raising children for God: these are things that can only come to its fullest and most wonderful extent-through the life-long permanency of marriage. The blessings of marriage go on and on: having someone to pray with you, to encourage you, to comfort you, to help you feel good about yourself, someone to help you face your own fears, and help you make big and important decisions in life, and someone to just be there when you need them. If you really want to know the riches of God’s grace then rely on His grace to live life the way that it was meant to be lived. Now, concerning divorce Jesus taught in Matthew 19:3-12, “The Pharisees also came unto Him, tempting Him, and saying unto Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away His wife for every cause? And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to His wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say unto Him, why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away His wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto Him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But He said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” The very first thing that Jesus did when replying to the deceitful Pharisees was to emphasis the way that God created and intended marriage to be. It should be obvious when we look at the world around us that despite the way God created things to be, most men will live contrary to the way God made life to be. Marriage should be permanent but most often it is not, why? Well, ever since Adam disobeyed God, all of mankind has been sinning and disobeying God. But people are blind. If we could only see and understand the riches and goodness of God’s grace; we would desire even greater to do what is right, because it is so worth it in this life and the next. Adam messed up big time. We can see the results of Adam’s sin by studying human history and looking at the world today. But God has promised in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose.” Even though Adam sinned and was kicked out of the garden. When we read Revelation chapter 21 we can easily see how the end for mankind will be even better than it was in the beginning in the garden that is the great grace of God. And that very same grace of God will be given to those who fail in a marital relationship and truly seek forgiveness. In Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce; we see that first Jesus emphasized the way marriage should be, and then He gave an example of when divorce would be ok: for fornication. The word fornication is found commonly enough in the N.T. and it refers to all sexual immorality. Here Jesus used it to refer to adultery. Of-course Jesus did not say that if your spouse was unfaithful that you must put them away, but only that it was permitted. It is always best to forgive and forget. But there are many practical reasons why one might divorce an unfaithful spouse, for example, if the person is not repentant and intends to do it again. Divorce is a breaking of the marriage bond. When one spouse is unfaithful then that bond has been broken already. The Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to put away one’s wife for every cause. Jesus replied by giving an example of when it would be ok to divorce. But He did not say it was the only situation in which divorce was permitted. Paul said in I Corinthians 7:15, “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” Here we know that Paul is talking about the marriage bondage by reading the previous verses of the chapter. So here Paul gives an example of when divorce is permitted. A marital relationship takes two people. But it only takes one to ruin it. In today’s society a person can get divorced without the consent of the other spouse. If you’re spouse chooses to leave you then have you sinned? No? Then does that mean you can never again remarry or enjoy the blessings of marriage because of someone else’s failure to keep their commitment? Well the Bible doesn’t say so. Another example of when divorce would be permissible is found in the last part of I Corinthians 7:15, “God hath called us to peace.” Also Proverbs 21:9 say; “It is better to dwell in the corner of a house top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.” In situations where one spouse is violent and abusive toward the other spouse and the children would divorce be permissible? Well, I Corinthians 7:15 says, “God hath called us to peace.” Not only did Jesus give an example of when divorce was permitted but He gave an example of when it is not. The Pharisees asked Jesus of divorce was permitted for every cause. And Jesus did not say for every cause, only for certain situations; other situations would be outright sin. Jesus said in Matthew 19:9, “And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doeth commit adultery.” In other words, it’s a sin to divorce someone just because you are lusting after some other person and want to marry them instead. There are many situations in which divorce is wrong. There are only a few in which divorce is permitted. But even in the situations in which the Bible permits divorce often times though who are living for the Lord will seek to forgive just as Christ forgave them. Hosea had a wife that continually committed adultery and He never divorced her. And spiritually speaking, we commit adultery against God and He will never divorce His bride. But what kind of people would just throw aside their spouse like an old rag? And what kind of people would place little value on the way that God created this life to be? The Bible says in Romans chapter 1:18-32 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. “ And the Bible also says II Peter 2:12-17 says, “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease form sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest: to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.” What kind of people would be unfaithful to their spouse? What kind of a person would just toss aside his or her spouse like an old rag? People that are without natural affection, people that are selfish, people that do not seek the will of God, people that are liars, and covenant-breakers, covetous, people that have eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, people that are spots and blemishes and wells without water, people that live for themselves and do not care about how much they might cause others to suffer and care not how ungodly of a testimony they might give to the world around them. What kind of people; the children of the devil, and the carnal Christians of the world. The forgiveness of God is the greatest possession in the world. Colossians 1:20 says, “And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” The forgiveness of Jesus Christ covers both: things in earth and things in heaven. Marriage is something that is earthly. And the forgiveness of God covers it just as God’s grace would anything else. The Greek word for forgive literally means to “let go, depart, or, put away”. Forgiveness means justification. Justification means, “Just as if I had not sinned.” One of the problems with understanding divorce, is that many Christians do not understand God’s forgiveness; or at least when it comes to the issue of divorce they do not understand God’s forgiveness. God’s grace is never a license to sin; it’s a license to do what is right, to serve God. If you have ever failed at a marriage, it’s not the end of the world. If you have ever divorced for the wrong reason, God will forgive you if you truly repent. And of course true repentance means a change of mind. A person who once had the wrong attitude about marriage will change and view the marriage bond the way that God intended it to be life-long faithfulness to one person. And true repentance also means a change from a lack of character to character over time. People who divorce and remarry again and again are people that have not truly repented of their sins. There are some Christians who teach that a divorced person is somehow limited in the way that they can now serve God. Some say it means they are now never able to be qualified to be a pastor or even a deacon in a church. It is true that I Timothy 3 says “the Husband of one wife.” And this verse means what it literally says. And some Christian people say that one of the punishments for the sins of divorce is that a person can never remarry. But where does God’s grace and forgiveness fit into these teachings? The Bible does say in Galatians 6:7-8, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” There are consequences to sin. Every choice, every action has a consequence. If you do what is right you will reap positive fruit. And if you do what is wrong you will reap suffering and destruction. But consequences are not something that we ourselves determine or have any power over. Such consequences, in the temporal sense, are determined by God. And He has partly determined them by the way He has designed this world to function. The ultimate consequence for any sin is death: eternal damnation in the lake of fire. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” There are definitely many very terrible consequences to divorce in this life. There is great emotional suffering that is caused by divorce to both spouse and children. There is also the horrible testimony that is given to the people in the world. For those who ruin their marriage through sexual immorality there is also the very possible consequence of horrible sexual diseases. To just discard the blessings and to just turn away from the person that God has placed in your life is completely foolish and destructive on your own life and opportunities. But to say that not being able to remarry is a consequence of divorce is not Biblical, because the Bible doesn’t say that. There are always those who will use the grace of God as an excuse for their own sins. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. But we must understand God’s forgiveness. It’s same in the area of divorce as it is for any other sin. When God forgives, He eternally forgets. He sees us just as if we had not sinned. Psalms 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” A person that was once a liar by the blood of Jesus Christ, will be just as if they never were a liar. A person that was once a murderer will be just as if they never were a murder. And even a person that was divorced will be just as if they never were divorced. Murder is a much worse sin than divorce. Paul was a murder; a mass murderer. But He turned from His sins and turned to Jesus. And by the grace of God He eventually became the leader of Christianity in His day. Would God say that a mass-murder could through His forgiveness became a great leader in Christianity but that someone who was divorced could never work in the ministry as a pastor or even a deacon? Such teaching that divorced people are second-class Christians is unbiblical. It is a legalistic teaching that contradicts what the Bible teaches about the eternal forgiveness of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Sprit.” Be careful who you condemn and who you oppose; especially if the person you oppose is seeking to do the work of God. The Bible says in James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” The Bible also says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” If I am a liar, then I am also an adulterer and a murder because he that offends in one point is guilty of all. Christianity is all about the grace of God. It’s not about who you are, or what you have done; because who you are is a sinner and what you have done is sin against the Almighty, Holy, Lord of Hosts. All opportunity to serve God is by the grace of God and based on the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, not based on what sins you have or have not committed. True Christians are people that serve God because they are thankful that Christ has forgiven them of their sins and bought them out of the bondage of spiritual slavery with His own precious blood. Christians are not good people, they are just sinners forgiven of their sins by Jesus. And it’s the grace of God that transforms a man into the image of Christ. If you are involved in organized religion, remember this truth before the next time you tell someone what they can or cannot do for God because of any sins they might have committed. The Bible says about God in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “And He hath made all things beautiful in His time.” Just remember that the wonderful blessings of marriage and of serving God, are given only by God’s grace. Those who have failed morally before they were married or even while they were married, and those who have been divorced, can by the grace of God still have the such blessings if it is the Lord’s will. Don’t underestimate the grace of God. Jesus said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Human beings are very good at messing their own lives up and destroying the way that God created things. But is so much better at making things right. Romans 5:20 says, “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Just remember it’s not man’s place to decide who should or should not get married and who should and should not serve God. God will decide these issues and put such desires in the hearts of those that He would have marry or work in the ministry because where sin did abound grace did much more abound.

How To Bear Good Fruit Of The Spirit

ENJOY YOUR EASTER DOING THIS Easter season is a time to value our Christian life and to take accountability. This is the time to reflect if our life is worth the price Jesus paid for our redemption. It is the time to see if we are bearing fruit worth of repentance. For us to bear good fruits, we need a number of things in preparation. 1. A garden with good soil is very important. The soil contains a lot of the nutrients that cause the growth of the plants. There are tremendous differences between good soil and bad soil. We need to be spiritually receptive to allow the seeds of God’s word to grow and develop the way they should. Matthew 13:23 (NIV) - The one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 2. Death Brings Life. As seeds die to geminate, we must die to ourselves and our own desires and submit to God’s plan. In doing so, we will bear much fruit. John 12:24 (NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 3. Seeds and Fruit needs water in order to reach its fullest potential If you have a garden, you have surely realized that if only water it once a week during the summer months your harvest is going to be much smaller. On the other hand, if your plants are receiving frequent and consistent watering, the plants are going to be stronger and the fruit is going to be better. A man who walks in the counsel of the Lord….., and delights in His word…….”He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3 {NKJV} 4. Pruning produces more fruit Pruning doesn’t make sense while you are doing it, but the results prove its effectiveness. God is an expert gardener and He knows which areas of our lives can be pruned to make us more effective. It does hurt, but the end result is very beautiful and rewarding. John 15:2 (NKJV) Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Let us take these 4 steps as we remember God’s gift of redemption from our sins. Let the word of God prepare us, let it germinate in our hearts and let it be water by daily reading it so that it can be able to prune us. Be blessed and have a wonderful, blessed and happy Easter in Jesus’ name. Your brother in Christ, Moses.

Keep mind Safe.

Praise God my salt friends, as we wait to celebrate the greatest love ever shown to mankind, it is my prayer that we take a keen interest in watching over our minds. The mind is the center of our well being and we cannot go beyond our thinking. Proverbs 23:7 says; “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Most of what trouble us in our lives is not the people or circumstances, but it is between our ears and our mind. As a good balanced diet is good for the body so is a good fed mind. The big question now is, what do you feed your mind? When we feed our minds with wrong thoughts, our live will always be negative. If we feed our lives with good thoughts, then our lives will be joyful. Proverbs 17:22 says; “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Let us feed our minds with the word of God everyday no matter what you are going through. We have no power over situations which come our way but we have the power to think right. When we take good care of our mind, then we will know what the will of God for our lives. Romans 12:2 has this to say; Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. The word of God is the best food for a human mind and nothing else. So when we wait to celebrate Easter, let us feed our mind with the right food which will nourish it and enjoy life. Brothers and sister, Jesus said to him, {me and you} “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with YOUR ENTIRE MIND. Matthew 22:37. Your brother and friend, Moses.