Greater than Yourself

Good Morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1 Corinthians.

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

In the Christian Life, marriage is a sacred union that can only be dissolved by death. If you get married, there are going to be some tough times that you will encounter, but you will need to endure them if you truly love Jesus Christ. 

A marriage is kind of like taking a drive across the country. It takes a little while to get to your final destination, and during the trip, it’s not always going to be a smooth ride. You are going to encounter situations that you didn’t expect. Certain obstructions may appear that you will have to navigate around. Some mornings you will rise up out of bed, and continue your trip down a peaceful highway, but at other times, you might wish that you had stayed home. This is because the road is filled with potholes and cracks that rattle both your body and your mind. You might need to make repairs and fix flat tires, both of which will attempt to hinder you from getting further down the road. But to succeed at anything, especially marriage, you must learn to overcome obstacles, and press forward. You will need to deal with the good times and the bad times. You will need to focus on the final destination, rather than the moment at hand. You will need to be thankful, even in the midst of suffering. You will need to think of something greater than yourself. 

I have witnessed many unbelievers who have managed to keep their marriages together because they chose to think of something greater than themselves,….their children. In order to keep the family intact, the parents would take their eyes off their own personal problems, and focus on the needs of their kids instead. Many years ago I knew a woman who refused to divorce her husband. Even though she had to endure some of his indiscretions, instead of going through an unloving divorce proceeding, she chose to suffer for the sake of the children. She had grown up in a home where her parents had gotten divorced, and she didn’t want any child to be forced to deal with what she had lived through. Many times, people will quickly forget that the ones who get hurt the most in a divorce are the little ones. They are innocent bystanders in an unloving and bitter conflict.

I find it amazing that some unbelievers are filled with more compassion for their own children than many who profess to be Christian. I find it amazing that they will remain in their marriage, while certain Christians will celebrate their divorces. This is sick and absolutely wicked, and brings shame upon themselves and the teachings of our beloved Lord. Divorce is forbidden to Christians because it is a complete rejection of divine charity. Charity never faileth, and when someone divorces their spouse, they refuse to abide in the greatest virtue.

In order for the Christian marriage to last, the will of God must become greater than doing your own will. The love for God must rule your heart, because only then will you completely submit to His purpose. Divorce is forbidden in the Christian Life, and failure is not an option. Those who are married must learn to grow in Grace, which is a quality that is not learned overnight. Couples must learn to be patiently forgiving, merciful, and long suffering through whatever ordeals may happen. You must never give up, because somewhere down the road, as you continue to faithfully abide in your marriage, God has great rewards for you, for your service and obedience to the faith.

Another point is that when you divorce your spouse, you are a quitter. You become a failure at something that you committed yourself to do. It is the outward evidence of somebody who refuses to persevere, even though Christ Jesus suffered and laid down His own life for them. It is to completely give up your faith at the stroke of a pen. Divorcing your spouse is like entering into a marathon, but then you give up halfway through the race. It’s like going away to college, but then you drop out midstream. It’s like starting to build a new home, but then never completing it. Many people who profess to be Christian will do the same thing. Like a wife who departs her husband, they will begin the Christian Life, but only last for a period of time. Eventually, their hearts will turn away from their loyal commitment to Christ.

“Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 3:20

Some people’s hearts will become focused on other things rather than perfect devotion to God. The Apostle warned against this.

1 John 2 ¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

To please God you must abide in your marriage. You need to honor Him by keeping your commitment to your spouse. Sincere love for God will obey Him. Spiritual adultery is committed when you love the world more than Him.

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4

A marriage is more than two people,… because God is watching. He is watching to see who will obey Him. Remaining in your marriage shows that you love Christ. Although your spouse may divorce you, don’t do it to them. At least you can know that you did the will of God by not participating in it. Anybody who tells you that divorce is acceptable as a Christian, is preaching a false gospel and should be ashamed of themselves. They claim that they have freedom, but the truth is that they are in the bond of iniquity. There is no charity in divorce, and the only fruit that one will eat from that tree is poisonous.

To keep yourself in the love of God, you must abide in your marriage. To remain in your commitment to one another proves that your love for Jesus is…

…. Greater Than Yourself

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc  where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

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