May 8th

Going All the Way

And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction. 1 Corinthians 7:35

The world is out to get you. If you give it the chance, it will hang a noose around your neck and drag you away from the life God wants to give you.

There are four nooses in particular where marriage is concerned about which I want to warn you.

Noose number one is the lie that singleness is a second-rate life. If you are single, do not settle for anything less than God's best for your life. This means to reserve sex for marriage, date only Christians, and refuse to lower God's standards because we want to be married so badly. God has good plans for you, single person, but you will only receive them if you trust Him enough to wait for Him to work.

Noose number two is the lie that time heals. Trying to let time heal things is really just avoidance. It's a scab over an infected wound that will only get worse if we don't deal with the problem, and the longer we wait, the worse it will be. If the problem is too big to handle between the two of you then get help, and then work to create a safe environment in which both of you feel safe to communicate when something hurts.

Noose number three is the lie that ...words will never hurt me. Proverbs 18:21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Words can either hurt or heal. Your words can kill your marriage, or they can resurrect it; it all depends on what you choose to say.

Noose number four is the lie that your marriage is none of my business. Hello? Look, in Joshua 7, where the Israelites could not stand before their enemies because one man had taken things devoted to God as his own, saying it was just his business. Marriage is devoted to God, a covenant made in His presence, and what you do with it affects the rest of us.

Don't let the world wrap these lies around your neck and destroy your relationships. Instead, pursue God and let Him lead you into the blessed marriages and lives He desires for us.

Prayer Father God,

Thank You that You have a good plan for my life! I want the best that You have for my marriage, so I ask for You to come work in my life now and help me to be the best husband/wife/ single person I can be.

Amen