Hello dear friends.
Today we are continuing to talk about marriage.
How can we stop the avalanche of divorces sweeping this country and destroying so many lives?
There is a solution.
Go back to the teachings of Jesus that were clear to the early Church and taught up to the protestant reformation.
That teaching bans or prohibits remarriage.
Marriage was commonly called wedlock because marriage truly was and is a lifetime commitment.
Our friend Gary says he won't attend weddings anymore.
"I'm just sick of having my emotions yanked around," he said.
"At the wedding everyone's so excited and happy.
Solemn promises are made by the couple to live together for the rest of their lives.
But you know then it seems inevitable that a few years later, I hear the couple is divorcing.
What's the point of marriage if no one is taking it seriously."
Ever since the early 70's any couple in America can easily divorce because of irreconcilable differences.
What a farce!
Every couple has irreconcilible differences!
And there is no limit to how many times you can divorce and remarry, as long as the secular statutes are followed.
But, you know, God hates divorce.
And divorce and remarriage makes His institution of holy matrimony a mockery.
Divorce and remarriage is the way of the world, but if you are a Truth seeker and a Kingdom citizen,
you know that marriage is a permanent, lifelong commitment.
Divorce plus remarriage equals adultery.
And adulterers will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. (1 Corinthians 6:9)
Jesus says: "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries
another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." That's at Luke 16: 18
When Joe and I realized marriage was for life, our attitude toward each other changed dramatically.
There was no slip knot in wedlock.
I am ashamed to admit that I had gone into marriage with some reservations about Joe,
but I thought, "Oh, well, if it doesn't work out, we can just get a divorce."
That attitude subverted my desire to truly build a good marriage. I was selfish.
I figured there were plenty of other guys around who could make me happy, just as happy as he could.
My focus was on my own pleasure.
I looked at how Joe treated me and his failings, instead of loving and serving him.
However, once we realized this is our one and only marriage, and that we are going to share the rest of our lives together,
no matter what happens, something changed in the way we treated each other.
I read in Genesis about a woman being a help meet for a man.
"And the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make him an help meet for him." Genesis 2:18.
The thought occurred to me that I was created to be Joe's special companion. That's the purpose of my life.
I am in the office of wife and mom and that office has responsibilities and obligations,
no matter what the circumstances, no matter how difficult.
I could be grumpy, complaining and a hen pecker toward my husband and children
or I could choose to be kind and forgiving and overlook much.
I chose to take the low seat and serve his needs and those of the children.
Joe said he did not want to live in a home where there was yelling and bickering.
When I became exasperated with him or the children, he would remind me gently that we do not need to raise our voices.
That yelling was disrespectful to everyone.
We worked at creating a home where peace, understanding and love reigned.
Shouting was set aside.
Now all this is contrary to what the flesh desires and is why we need the abiding presence of Christ
to guide us through the good and the bad times.
The most effective defense against the rising tide of divorce is a ban on remarriage, which Jesus teaches in the Gospels.
The ban on remarriage was clear to the early Church and was taught and practiced up to the time of the protestant reformation.
“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Mark 10:11,12
All marriages run into difficulties and with remarriage as a seductive possibility, it is easy to just let matters slide.
Why try to solve them?
Then when the problems grow until they seem insurmoutable, throw in the towel and file for divorce, hoping for a new start.
The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.
However, what if you knew there was an official ban on remarriage. If you divorced,
you would face a lifetime of sexual abstinence and a lonely life because your spouse and united family would be gone.
Faced with this outcome, the motivation for saving the marriage would be far stronger.
With a ban on remarriage, some would still divorce, but many more would continue in their marriages,
even though there would be pain and suffering and unhappiness to endure.
But, through prayer and hope that the offending spouse would repent and mature, circumstances could improve with time.
"How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"
1 Cointhians 7:16
If you are the wife or husband of an erring spouse, no one is going to be praying more fervently than you that that spouse repents.
Be patient and long-suffering.
Realize that life experiences change people.
Your spouse may be difficult and frustrating to live with right now, but they may change.
Love them and be an encouragement through these trying circumstances.
And stand on the vows you made for better or worse. Be an overcomer.