Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – April 24, 2016
They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness. Ezra 9:2
Marriage is between a man and a woman, and Christian marriage is between two Christians. This is God’s plan, and attempts to circumvent His plan can lead to watered down faith and a lifestyle lived contrary to Christian principles. This is the risk you take if you marry someone who is not a committed follower of Jesus Christ. Christian marriage already has plenty of challenges without the added confusion brought on by mixed belief systems and values. Two contrasting faiths are like blending oil and water. It doesn’t work, and it creates a mess.
Opposites may attract, but a common faith is a must for a healthy marriage. The co-mingling of faiths can cause, among other things, confusion in children. Whose faith do they follow? This creates insecurity in their impressionable hearts. People with differing faiths may be able to coexist, but they miss the intimacy of a mutual commitment to the same heavenly Father. It takes more than love for one another to have a happy, holy, and fulfilling marriage. A bountiful marriage is one in which both husband and wife are madly in love with Christ. He is the originator and sustainer of marriage. He models marriage, with the church as His bride (Revelation 21:9).
One good question to ask a prospective life mate is, “Do you love God more than you love me?” If the answer is yes, you will be in better hands as a husband or a wife. Without this level of faith in God, you lose the leverage of a loving Savior. Jesus Christ is the plumb line in marriage. He is the baseline and the standard. His life, His death, His teachings, and His example set the stage for Christian marriage. There are boundaries and expectations that He defines for a successful marriage. Therefore, the wise husband and wife look to God and ask Him for direction, forgiveness, and ways to love each other. Your gratitude to God for His great love and forgiveness becomes the model of how you love and forgive your spouse.
The goal of Christian marriage is to reflect our relationship with God. Marriage is a sacred relationship that God understands oh so well. He understands that your faith can become a wedge or a weld. By faith, He will galvanize your hearts together; By faith, He will allow you to weather the storms together; By faith, He will give you joy together; By faith, He will allow you to experience life together to its fullest; By faith, He will give you wisdom to raise children together; By faith, He will give you grace to live the Christian life together.
Most of all, by faith, He will allow you to enjoy Him and each other together. Your common faith in Jesus Christ is the oil that lubricates your marriage machinery. It is the water that satisfies your thirsty soul. Let your marriage start with a common belief in the same God, the Father of your Lord Jesus Christ. Love Him and each other passionately and with abandon. This will pull your marriage together and drive you toward the same destination of hope and heaven. A common faith commitment is a non-negotiable for the Christian marriage. Mold your marriage around your Master.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I trust You to lead me to a husband or wife who loves You more than they love me.Post/Tweet today
Christian marriage is a reflection of our relationship with God: love, forgiveness, faithfulness. #WisdomHunters #marriageWorship Resource
5 minutes – Christy Nockels: Let it Be Jesus Today’s reading is taken from Boyd’s most popular book: Seeking Daily the Heart of God, a 365 day devotional. Check out Boyd’s newest devotional book Two Minutes in the Bible for Men. Order now! If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider giving now to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision. Learn how to help. Our free Apple app Our free Android appComments are closed.
I love God and I love Jesus…I am in a gay relationship with a muslim man and we have been in love for almost seven years. I always enjoy wisdom hunters devotionals – I look forward to it every day. This particular devotional, however, was unsettling for me …. is the author suggesting that those of us who are in good rewarding relationships should abandon our partners if our partners do not share the same faith? That doesn’t seem like a very loving thing to do.
Hello thank you very good andhelpful Father Gospd is great and wonderful and Jesus is also
Not one of my favorite messages….
Dear Paul,
Thank you so much for responding to the devotional “Spiritually Mixed Marriage”. Your comments and your question are sincere and heartfelt and we appreciate the courage and conviction that prompted your response. Thank you, Paul. We are also grateful that you are a Wisdom Hunter’s reader and have been blessed by the devotionals in the past. I REJOICE in the fact you stated “I love God and I love Jesus”. Amen and Amen.
The author, Boyd Bailey, writes from his heart – a heart for God and committed to the Word of God. He speaks “the truth in love” when we writes because he loves the Lord and wants to share Him and His Word with others.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is,Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:15-16
Paul, Boyd and the rest of the Wisdom Hunter’s team believe the Bible to be the inspired and infallible Word of God. (Please take a moment to go to our website, if you would like, to read the Wisdom Hunter’s Statement of Faith.) With that being said, this devotional describes what the Holy Word of God says about marriage.
I hope that you do not find this condescending or judgemental in any way. Please know, Paul, that would never be our intention. Our intention is to share the Word to all (especially those in our Wisdom Hunter’s family!!) so they can “reap the benefits” of a joyful, God-filled life!
Again, Paul, we are thankful for you and appreciate your comments. My thoughts are that you may have been speaking for others in our Wisdom Hunter’s family that have wondered the same thing. If you would like to continue this conversation, please let us know.
Grateful,
Gwynne
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3: 5-6
Dear Sandra,
Thank you for your honest response to “Spiritually Mixed Marriage”. We are thankful for you and always appreciate hearing from our Wisdom Hunter’s family.
Believing and trusting~
Gwynne
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
God provides each of us with free will to make choices in our lives, as does he provide the scriptures by which he will ultimately judge us. We, as Christians, know this is his and his decision alone to make.
Dear Larry,
Thank you for your response after reading “Spiritually Mixed Marriage”. We always appreciate hearing from our Wisdom Hunter’s family and value your comments. You are so right when you say “HE will ultimately judge us”. So thankful that HE gave us His Word as our guidebook for life.
Grateful for you Larry.
Blessings,
Gwynne
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
I have my fair share of struggles and every day I ask the Holy Spirit to pint out any areas in my life that displease the father so that with his help I may correct these areas of sin and struggle. Two scriptures have been fundamental to me one is that Christ is coming back for a spotless bride her church. To this end he calls me to abandon all sin in my life and realizing that I cannot do it on my own he has promised a Helper the Holy Spirit who will guide me in all truth. The second guiding scripture for me has been Jesus saying those that love my father are those that do my fathers will. The will of the father is clear in His word and if seek after it we will understand it. I struggled with loving someone whom I knew wished my downfall but the word reminds me that if I love only those that love me even unbelievers do that. I cannot justify my feelings towards these persons the word is clear if love Jesus I must do what He says.
So my point is we must rid our lives of all sinfulness. Thank you to the writers of this message it was truly a blessing to me and I believe that more singles would benefit from hearing these kinds of messages more often. Stay blessed
Dear Soni,
Thank you for reaching out to us after reading “Spiritually Mixed Marriage”. Your examples of seeking out God’s Word and praying for the Holy Spirit to guide you are inspiring. I can only imagine your Heavenly Father is so joyful when you reach out to Him. Thank you for sharing that with us.
I am sorry that your relationship with the person “whom I knew wished my downfall” exists BUT I admire and REJOICE in your obedience to seek God out regarding this relationship. What a faithful example you are to those around you.
We are so grateful for you and look forward to hearing from you again. We will pray for you as you continue on this faith walk with your Creator!
Believing and trusting~
Gwynne
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
“Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to Him,
for God is our refuge.”
Psalm 62:8
Dear Soni,
Thank you for your kind words. Please know that I will pass them along to Boyd Bailey the author of “Spiritually Mixed Marriage”. We are thankful that you were blessed by the devotional and we give ALL THE GLORY TO GOD!!
We are grateful for you and look forward to hearing from you again.
Blessings to you and yours,
Gwynne
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13
“The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:8