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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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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 collecting daily manna), 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. Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Today's Passage : Subject :The Sermon on the Mount - Divorce Bible Verse :Matthew 5:31-32 (ESV) "“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” " Message:
Unlike some of the previous teachings, Christ does not seek to create an impossible standard here; rather, this is an illustration of the shift from simple legalism into a theology of inner goodness.
Marriage was a very different institution in the ancient world; it is Christ who gave us our concept of modern marriage. Polygamy was common, if a man had enough property to support more than one wife, but usually there was a “first wife” who would be from the same class as the man; and as we saw in the case of Isaac and Rebekah, the woman would have to be cajoled and wooed.
But men could also marry slaves (who were more akin to indentured servants than what we conceive as slaves). Mosaic law gave protection to these women; for example, a slave-wife would have to be treated with some respect and, if the man wanted to divorce her, she would have to be given signed papers, releasing her from both servitude and marriage. Slave women could not simply be used for sex, as in other cultures of the day.
But Christ required not simply legal protection, but love; marriage was permanent and, unless a woman committed adultery, divorce was simply not allowed. Christ's teaching in Matthew 19 (and Mark 10) remains the Christian standard of marriage today: “So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:8-9)
This is an area in which we can clearly see the marked pull of society away from Christianity. We have chosen, instead, to move towards the heritage of total sexual licentiousness that ancient Greece bequeathed to the Romans and, eventually, us.
It also give us a clear view of “social Christianity” as it operates in churches and society today. Most people, even if they call themselves “Christians”, simply ignore this passage if they find it inconvenient. We hear Christ's teaching about “one flesh” quoted when it is least needed: at weddings. But where it actually has teeth, for people whose marriages are troubled, it is stuffed under a pillow or in a drawer so that it does not embarrass the divorcing couple.
We say one thing and do another, and there is a word for it: hypocrisy. Let us remember always to be thankful and supportive of all the people and programs that seek to assist troubled couples, both in churches and the secular world.
Meditation : Prayer : Lord, support me all the day long of this troublous life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over and my work is done. Then of Thy mercy, grant me a safe lodging, and a holy rest and a peace at last through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen |
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