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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, June 16, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Joy of No Sex Bible Verse:Matthew 19:10-12 "[“And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”] The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are the sexually abstinent who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are the sexually abstinent who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also the sexually abstinent who made themselves abstinent for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.” " Message:
Both Jesus and Paul stop short of saying that a Christian should not marry. Jesus implies it in the mildest possible way. Being celibate might enable one to serve God better, but the people who give up sex for God are called to it; it is not forced upon them.
Nevertheless, the phrase “he who is able to accept it” reminds the reader of the many times Christ says “he who has ears to hear,” with special significance when he discusses his use of parables. When he says, “Whoever has ears, let them hear” in Matthew 13:9, it introduces a long discussion. Those who do not have ears to hear are those who are doomed by their inability to accept Christ’s teachings. (Matthew 13:9-17)
So when Jesus says “he who is able to accept this,” we might infer some special holiness to a person called to be celibate in the service of God. This is interpretation or inference, not the inspired word of God. Yet, the inference is bolstered by our call to emulate Christ, and today’s Scripture hints that He never married in order to serve God better.
Note, though, that the Bible at no point states that Jesus was unmarried! What He, and the Bible, actually say is that it is not really a big deal. The New Testament says the following: Those called to celibacy should follow their call; there is nothing wrong with getting married and it is better to marry than to burn with lust; those who are married should not divorce (except for immorality). But it isn’t important. We find out that Peter was married almost by accident, by incidental mention of his mother-in-law.
The virtue of celibacy is practical, not theological. Simply stated, single people do not have to worry about a spouse and can better focus on God's work. (1 Corinthians 7:32-35) At no point does the Bible condemn marriage or sex. In fact, Paul encourages married couples to have sex! (1 Corinthians 7:1-5) But Paul comes off more pro-celibacy than Jesus, as he tells people to marry only if they cannot restrain themselves, while Jesus says that only one who can “accept” celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven should accept it.
Meditation : Prayer : Good shepherd, seek me out, and bring me home to your fold again. Deal favourably with me according to your good pleasure, until I may dwell in your house all the days of my life, and praise you forever and ever with them that are there.....Amen |
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