THE RIGHT REASONS
Are there people in your life who view your continued faithfulness to your spouse as “pining?†Perhaps the more important question is….are they right? Yes, you’re honoring your dead or dying marriage every day, but if what’s driving your stand is nothing more than memories, a sense of loss and your continued grief, you will fail. Your sorrow will eventually turn to bitterness and anger, and unless you find something deeper, something eternal to build your foundation on, you will not have the strength to continue. I guarantee it.
Perhaps you feel that if you knew WHY this was happening to you, it would make your suffering bearable; I know I’ve certainly felt that way. It’s in our very nature as humans to wonder why good things happen to “bad†people and bad things happen to “good†people. Jesus’ own disciples asked this very question….and assumed that the answer was sin; perhaps sin that only God could see.
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?†“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,†said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:1-3
“Bad†things happen in our lives for the same reason that “good†things happen; because there exists, in every situation we find ourselves in, a way or a means to glorify God. Every day, every life event, every conversation is an opportunity to glorify God through our actions, behavior towards others and continued faith. And while God delights in our praise songs and continued communication with Him through prayer, it is viewing (and living) life as a series of opportunities to glorify God that is real and true worship.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
Let’s look at some “bad†things that plague our lives. Are you ill? God can still be glorified in your continued faithfulness and persistent prayers for healing. Have you lost your job or found yourself in dire financial straits? Your faith that God will provide for His children and your lack of a complaining heart will astound those around you, and make your friends and family wonder where your strength is coming from. Has someone close to you died? Your selfless offering of yourself as help and constant comfort to the family of the deceased brings glory to God on a level that the lyrics to a worship song never could.
But what of divorce? How can God possibly be glorified in the midst of something we know He hates?
Let’s look at the very character of God. He loves unconditionally on a level that we never could, with a love so strong that it guarantees every promise He makes. He is faithful to us even when we ignore or abandon Him. His mercy and generosity, while always undeserved, are never-ending. And his willingness to forgive and restore us to His kingdom is constant and freely offered to anyone who will accept it.
If glorifying God is simply displaying His character in a way that allows those around us to see Him through us, then we need to respond to situations in which we are wronged with the same love, faithfulness, mercy, generosity and forgiving spirit that God Himself has shown us. It is for this reason that I personally believe that honoring my wife and dying marriage is the best (and perhaps only) way for God to be glorified amidst this divorce.
This is the “eternal foundation†I spoke of in the first paragraph of this devotional…if my continued faithfulness to my wife was based only on earthly emotions, I would be doomed to eventual failure…emotions are unreliable and can change in a heartbeat. But honoring a marriage so that God might be glorified (and not just because you miss your spouse) brings a strength and a peace that you could never summon on your own. And when yet another nugget of bad news about your spouse’s life finds its way to your ears, asking yourself how God can continue to be glorified even in that moment takes you out of your own pain and gives your task of standing for your marriage a higher purpose than just healing your hurting heart.
Earthly love (or what the world knows as love) has already failed, as witnessed by your dead or dying marriage. Think of the love you have for your spouse not as yours, then, but as God’s love manifesting itself through you. This is so much more than “pining;†it’s the kind of love that perseveres, that always hopes, and that brings glory to God…because it’s His love in the first place.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.†Luke 6:32-36
Standing with God’s love in California,
Benjamin
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Are there people in your life who view your continued faithfulness to your spouse as “pining?†Perhaps the more important question is….are they right? Yes, you’re honoring your dead or dying marriage every day, but if what’s driving your stand is nothing more than memories, a sense of loss and your continued grief, you will fail. Your sorrow will eventually turn to bitterness and anger, and unless you find something deeper, something eternal to build your foundation on, you will not have the strength to continue. I guarantee it.
Perhaps you feel that if you knew WHY this was happening to you, it would make your suffering bearable; I know I’ve certainly felt that way. It’s in our very nature as humans to wonder why good things happen to “bad†people and bad things happen to “good†people. Jesus’ own disciples asked this very question….and assumed that the answer was sin; perhaps sin that only God could see.
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?†“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,†said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:1-3
“Bad†things happen in our lives for the same reason that “good†things happen; because there exists, in every situation we find ourselves in, a way or a means to glorify God. Every day, every life event, every conversation is an opportunity to glorify God through our actions, behavior towards others and continued faith. And while God delights in our praise songs and continued communication with Him through prayer, it is viewing (and living) life as a series of opportunities to glorify God that is real and true worship.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
Let’s look at some “bad†things that plague our lives. Are you ill? God can still be glorified in your continued faithfulness and persistent prayers for healing. Have you lost your job or found yourself in dire financial straits? Your faith that God will provide for His children and your lack of a complaining heart will astound those around you, and make your friends and family wonder where your strength is coming from. Has someone close to you died? Your selfless offering of yourself as help and constant comfort to the family of the deceased brings glory to God on a level that the lyrics to a worship song never could.
But what of divorce? How can God possibly be glorified in the midst of something we know He hates?
Let’s look at the very character of God. He loves unconditionally on a level that we never could, with a love so strong that it guarantees every promise He makes. He is faithful to us even when we ignore or abandon Him. His mercy and generosity, while always undeserved, are never-ending. And his willingness to forgive and restore us to His kingdom is constant and freely offered to anyone who will accept it.
If glorifying God is simply displaying His character in a way that allows those around us to see Him through us, then we need to respond to situations in which we are wronged with the same love, faithfulness, mercy, generosity and forgiving spirit that God Himself has shown us. It is for this reason that I personally believe that honoring my wife and dying marriage is the best (and perhaps only) way for God to be glorified amidst this divorce.
This is the “eternal foundation†I spoke of in the first paragraph of this devotional…if my continued faithfulness to my wife was based only on earthly emotions, I would be doomed to eventual failure…emotions are unreliable and can change in a heartbeat. But honoring a marriage so that God might be glorified (and not just because you miss your spouse) brings a strength and a peace that you could never summon on your own. And when yet another nugget of bad news about your spouse’s life finds its way to your ears, asking yourself how God can continue to be glorified even in that moment takes you out of your own pain and gives your task of standing for your marriage a higher purpose than just healing your hurting heart.
Earthly love (or what the world knows as love) has already failed, as witnessed by your dead or dying marriage. Think of the love you have for your spouse not as yours, then, but as God’s love manifesting itself through you. This is so much more than “pining;†it’s the kind of love that perseveres, that always hopes, and that brings glory to God…because it’s His love in the first place.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.†Luke 6:32-36
Standing with God’s love in California,
Benjamin
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
