Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Thursday, February 3, 2022

QT 2/3/2022 Matt 19:7-12, Making marriage last

Matthew 19:7–12 (ESV) —

7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For 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. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

 

NOTE: The disciple's response seems to suggest that they had viewed divorce as an acceptable option and Jesus's words make them think they would be better off staying single. Certainly marriage is hard but to go into marriage thinking there is an option out is a cowardly and deceitful action. There is no doubt that marriage takes a lot of work, and I doubt anyone recognizes how much work until they are married. Two people with sin natures, family baggage, mental health makeup, bodies that will age, and each desiring control is a guarantee of significant struggles. If anything, we should wonder how God could continue to love us, not how we can continue to love our wives. I am fortunate that my wife of 37-plus years is still my best friend, but there were days where it was difficult to love. Life does not always go as planned. In my married years I've seen expectations as the greatest danger to married life. Rather than expecting another to act like I want, the focus needs to be on me acting as I should (or did during the dating phase).

 

PONDER:

  1. Do I recognize the necessity of working at loving my spouse?
  2. Do I recognize that the only thing I can control is how I can love my spouse more?

 

PRAYER: Father, the previous parable regarding the king and the servant with a massive debt is a good picture of marriage. God forgave me and gave me a beautiful wife. I can learn to forgive her and love her in the same way God has loved me. Give me grace to reflect that kind of love.

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