Monday, February 15, 2016

God's Perfect Will For His Children

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:14-19).

Hey Gang:  I have gained a special interest in heaven in the few years.  When you are older-than dirt your thoughts do tend to want to know what is beyond the veil.  I really get excited when I read that Jesus is going to come on a white stallion and call His children up to meet Him in the air.  I get even more excited when I read we will then go, as part of the bride of Christ, and be wed to the bridegroom at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

As I thought about that glorious day, my mind turned to another glorious day more than 58 years ago, when I stood at the altar of the Eagle Church of God and saw the pearl of great price who would soon be my bride.  It saddens my heart when I see what has happened to God’s formula for marriage. 
I do not believe that God created anything that was not perfect in every way including when he created man and woman and said, ‘leave your parents and become yoked together in covenant relationship with each other.’  And then He added, “What is put together under covenant, Let it never be put asunder. 

Valentine’s Day has rolled around once again and we have searched for just the right card to say what we cannot say in person.  The tragedy of depending on a card to convey our feelings is they end up in the trashcan much like many marriages.

Did you know that Satan hates marriage?  He hates for people to love each other and will do anything that you allow him to do, to destroy it.    If we do not have the love of God in our heart, we, and our marriage, is like a sitting duck with a huge bull’s eye on our back;  all the ingredients for a successful marriage are found in Jesus.  (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal; 5:22-23).

God’s formula for a perfect marriage:  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  We love because He first loved us.” (I John 4:18-19).   

“Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7-8).

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Col. 3:14).
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us and our marriage from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Rom. 8:38-39).

Do you want to give your wife a very special valentine this extended Valentine Day?  I mean even you macho guys?  Sit down in the quiet of the evening after the kids are tucked away in their beds and read to her, and her to him, the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians 13.   Note verse 8, “Love never fails, all else may fail but love never fails.”  That my friends works every day – we truly do reap what we sow! And that we can take to the bank.

Blessings,


Gramps

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